Election results in Congress - by Alfred Dilamani

[alfred dilamani]

There will be at least 16 new senators and 93 new members of the House of Representatives when the 112th Congress is seated in early January.

 

With Alaska and Washington yet to be decided, two incumbent senators have already been defeated: Sens. Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Blanche Lincoln (D-AR). Fourteen others were elected to fill the seats of senators who are either retiring or were defeated in party primaries earlier this year. 

 

In the House, 51 members lost their reelection bids - 49 Democrats and two Republicans - and Republican have so far gained 60 seats.  Nine more races, all in seats currently held by Democrats, are still too close to call as of Thursday morning.

 

The 93-member freshman class in the House - 84 Republicans and 9 Democrats - is the largest freshmen class to enter Congress since 1993, when 110 new members arrived in the House.  The 2010 election saw the greatest number of seats flipping from one party to another since 1948, when Democrats netted 75 new House seats.

--
Alfred Dilamani