2008 senate race in the United States

The 2008 senate race was a telling victory for the democratic party of the united states of America. After having lost control of the senate in 2004, the party experience a renewal of vigor for the 2006 midterm races. That vigor was taken a step further in 2008, and the outcome was decisive: The democrats ended up with 60 seats out of 100, making the senate filibuster-proof and solidifying control of the congress's senior body. In the end the democrats gained eight seats out of the 35 being contested, a staggering level of dominance in an era where public servants are usually set in their seat for life.

For their success in the 2008 senate race, the democrats have many to thank, starting with presidential candidate (and eventual winner) Barack Obama. Obama was the first national candidate to really understand the power of social networking and the internet as a tool not only for gaining support, but raising money and volunteer hours as well. Obama's popularity and ability to get young people to connect to his message was felt "down-ticket", as a majority of Obama voters ended up going straight democrat all the way down the line. That larger turn-out propelled many new senators into their seats.

Also to thank in the 2008 senate race were the republicans themselves, who were struggling to gain any type of momentum or message after eight years of rubber-stamping the nihlistic policies of the Bush/Cheney regime. That public dissatisfaction with the GOP combined with an inordinately large amount of ethics and sex scandals to put democrats in a position to win seats which, just months earlier, were considered untouchable.

One example is now-ex senator Ted Stevens of Alaska, who had been serving as a senator for longer than any other person in US history. Stevens was a heavy favorite until it came out that he'd accepted gifts - a new house valued at 250,000 dollars being one of them - from companies that had lobbied him for public contracts. Stevens was indicted just two months before the election, allowing Marc Begich to claim the seat for the democrats.

Also defeated was Minnesota senator Norm Coleman, who lost the closest race of the cycle to former Saturday Night Live performer and writer Al Franken. Coleman made legal challenges to the result that lasted well into the summer of 2009, but in the end the republican governor of Minnesota deemed that the election results were legitimate and certified Franken as the winner.

The final win of the 2008 senate race came from a "race" that wasn't even being run when republican senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania switched parties from Republican to Democrat. Specter is a moderate republican - a dying breed - who felt the party no longer represented his views. Specter's defection gave democrats the magical "60" seats, allowing them unprecedented control of the senate floor.