GOP strengthens hold within congressional ranks / LJWorld.com

Washington — A triumphant phalanx of conservative candidates paved the way as Republicans used Election Day to strengthen their grip on Congress and vanquish one of the Democrats' most visible national leaders.

As undecided races in the House and Senate dwindled to a handful, both chambers' GOP leaders rejoiced in their added muscle. In the next Congress, Republicans will have at least 231 seats and probably one more for what would be a three-seat pickup in the 435-member House.

The GOP will control the new Senate 55-44 plus a Democratic-leaning independent, a four-seat gain.

"Last night was a monumental victory for the United States Senate," said Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn.

The GOP's favorite scalp was that of Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota, the 18-year Senate veteran and leading Democratic voice whom Republicans disparaged for obstructing their agenda. Former Rep. John Thune, R-S.D., made Daschle the only Senate incumbent to lose Tuesday, ousting him by fewer than 4,600 votes and leaving his party's senators without a high-profile leader. Democrats were left searching for explanations.

"We did everything within our control to be in a position to win," said Sen. Jon Corzine, D-N.J., who led his party's Senate campaign apparatus. "What we could not control was a map which was tilted decidedly in our opponent's direction and an unexpectedly strong showing by President Bush."

Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., Daschle's No. 2, easily won re-election and prepared to announce his own run for the top job. Though not viewed as telegenic or inspiring, Reid is seen by many colleagues as a hard worker who has earned the chance.

As for the Democrats' next move, Gary Jacobson, a political scientist at the University of California at San Diego who studies Congress, said: "They do some navel gazing for a while, and they figure out how to reverse things."

Congressional Republicans not only increased in number but are a more conservative lot, chiefly by consolidating their hold on Southern and other GOP-leaning states.

Among the newly minted GOP lawmakers with clear conservative tastes were incoming Sens. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and Jim DeMint of South Carolina, and Reps.-elect Ted Poe and Louis Gohmert of Texas. Most Democratic pickups in the House and Senate came in Democratic-leaning states and districts.

"There's no question, the red states get redder and the blue states get bluer," said Stephen Moore, president of the conservative Club for Growth.

Moderate Republicans took note of what happened and began staking out their territory.

The likely new chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, moderate Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., warned the White House against trying to fill any upcoming Supreme Court vacancies with judges who would oppose abortion rights or invite Democrats to block them for being too conservative.

"I would expect the president to be mindful of the considerations which I am mentioning," said Specter, who was elected Tuesday to a fifth six-year term.