Democrats gaining more power in Congress

Democrats scored some quick and convincing victories Tuesday in both houses of Congress, picking up Senate seats in North Carolina, New Hampshire and Virginia in what the party hoped were the first of a series of triumphs that would give it formidable strength on Capitol Hill to pursue an ambitious policy agenda.

In North Carolina, the congressional career of Sen. Elizabeth Dole, one of the most famous names in Republican politics, came to an end at the hands of Kay Hagan, a state lawmaker whose portrayal of Dole as a Washington insider suggested that she was out of touch with the people of her state.

Sen. John E. Sununu, a first-term Republican from New Hampshire, lost his Senate seat in a rematch with former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen, who had relentlessly tied Sununu to the Bush administration.

And in Virginia, former Gov. Mark Warner coasted to victory in the race for an open seat, adding another new member to a Democratic Senate majority that was expected to grow by at least five seats, and quite possibly more depending on hard-fought races extending all the way to Alaska. Having easily defeated another former governor, Jim Gilmore, Warner will now succeed Sen. John W. Warner (no relation), a Republican who did not seek re-election.

In the House, several first-term Democrats who had been thought vulnerable were re-elected, including Reps. John Yarmuth of Kentucky and Brad Ellsworth of Indiana. Republican incumbents were in trouble in several states, including Reps. Tom Feeney and Ric Keller, both of Florida.

In a closely watched Connecticut race, Rep. Christopher Shays, the last Republican House member from New England, was badly trailing Jim Himes, a Democratic banker turned housing advocate.

With voters expressing frustration over the state of the economy, strategists of both parties expected that Democrats would enhance their House majority, now 236-199.

All 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats were at stake, but incumbents were expected to breeze to re-election in most of those races, putting the focus on about a dozen Senate seats and 50 House seats where the competition was fierce.

The victories by Senate Democrats in Virginia and particularly North Carolina provided evidence that Sen. Barack Obama's overwhelming appeal to African-American voters, as well as his extensive field operations and voter registration efforts, were helping Democratic candidates down the ticket.