Stevens Concedes, Won't Seek Recount

Democrat takes first lead; another 40,000 votes to be counted

(NEWSER) - Democrat Mark Begich has taken the lead—by 814 votes—over Ted Stevens in the race for the Senate in Alaska, reports FiveThirtyEight.com. With about 40,000 absentee votes still to be counted, Begich leads 132,196 to 131,382. When the day began, Begich trailed by more than 3,000 votes. "Given where we expect the remaining votes are located, this looks very good for Begich," writes Sean Quinn of FiveThirtyEight. More»

Palin, party leader say Stevens would have won without felony raps

(NEWSER) - The head of Alaska's Republican Party is calling for Democratic Sen. Mark Begich to step down and clear the way for a new election now that felony misconduct charges have been dropped against former Sen. Ted Stevens, reports the Anchorage Daily News. Stevens would not have lost in November if voters had known the "corrupt" Department of Justice would drop its case against him, claims Randy Reudrich. More»

Dems pick up another Senate seat; no word from GOP on recount

(NEWSER) - Democrat Mark Begich has ousted Ted Stevens in Alaska's Senate race, the Anchorage Daily News reports. Begich widened his lead to 3,724 votes, with only 2,500 left to be counted. The Stevens camp has not said whether it will request a recount, which would take place in early December. Such recounts rarely change the outcome in Alaska voting, the Daily News notes. More»

If he wins, then what? He may be expelled, opening door for Palin

(NEWSER) - Oh, what a tangled web Ted Stevens is weaving in Alaska. This much we know: In his bid to become the first felon re-elected to the Senate, Stevens leads Mark Begich by a few thousand votes. But with 60,000 absentee ballots still to be counted, it could be a week or more before we know the winner. If Stevens hangs on, that's when things get sticky regarding his Senate seat, the Washington Post reports. More»

Dems could pick up 8 seats; GOP could oust Landrieu in La.

(NEWSER) - With 35 Senate seats up for grabs Tuesday, Chris Cillizza, in the Washington Post, predicts Democrats will flip eight. Two more are close calls for the Dems, while the GOP has one hope for a pickup. Starting with the most likely:

1. Virginia is in the bag for Mark Warner; he might even get 60% of the vote.
2. New Mexico will fall easily to Tom Udall...
3. ...while his cousin, Mark Udall, has pulled away in Colorado.