In Senate, Democratic Wins Include Va. and N.C.

Former New Hampshire governor and U.S. Senate candidate Jeanne Shaheen, center, greets people before voting at Madbury Town Hall. (By Darren Mccollester -- Getty Images)

Another member of the GOP leadership, Rep. Adam H. Putnam (Fla.), resigned his post as chairman of the Republican conference in a midnight letter to colleagues. Other shake-ups in leadership could come in the days ahead, aides said.

Not all Democrats sailed to victory last night. A handful lost their seats, including two freshmen who were elected in Republican districts in 2006 but could not repeat those winning performances. Rep. Nick Lampson, a Democrat who won two years ago in the solid GOP territory of Texas's 22nd District, could not attract enough crossover support from Republican voters to fend off a challenge from Pete Olson. Rep. Nancy Boyda, a Democrat from Kansas who surprised both parties when she won in a heavily Republican district two years ago, lost to Republican challenger, State Treasurer Lynn Jenkins, by early morning.

African American and young voters who turned out in record numbers for Obama continued to vote for Democrats in down-ballot races, helping to create a string of upsets in many congressional contests.

"There was this tsunami throughout the country," said Rep. Christopher Shays, a 21-year House member from Connecticut and the last Republican in the New England delegation, who suffered defeat at the hands of Democrat Jim Himes. Himes posted such large margins in heavily African American Bridgeport that even his campaign staff was surprised by the returns.

In North Carolina's 8th District, Democrat Larry Kissell knocked off Republican Robin Hayes, who had held his seat for 10 years. In Virginia, Democrat and political novice Tom Perriello was hanging on to a razor-thin lead over incumbent Republican Virgil H. Goode Jr., and Rep. Thelma Drake was in danger of losing her Virginia Beach district.

Two embattled Democrats in Pennsylvania, Reps. John P. Murtha and Paul E. Kanjorski, survived their elections in large part because of Obama's sizable margins in the state, according to Ross K. Baker of Rutgers University. "They were both saved by Barack Obama," he said. "That's going to be a key to his legislative success -- those members who are going to attribute their strength to Obama."

In Minnesota, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R), who damaged her chances with controversial remarks saying Obama may be un-American, was leading her Democratic challenger early this morning with almost 20 percent of the results yet to be counted.

The Democratic governors of Illinois and Delaware will appoint replacements for Obama and vice president-elect Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware, ensuring they remain in Democratic hands.

In Virginia, which voted Democratic in its first presidential race since 1964, Democrat Gerry Connolly, a former Fairfax County supervisor, picked up the seat of retiring Rep. Tom Davis (R).

Democrats built the foundation for their gains in the House in 2007 and early 2008, shoring up defenses of those who were elected in the anti-Bush environment of 2006 and in special elections this past year. Party leaders allowed many of these freshmen to introduce popular legislation, handing them accomplishments they could boast about back in their districts. In many cases, Democrats recruited candidates who matched the district, if not the national party, choosing men and women with conservative views on abortion and gun rights in hopes of neutralizing issues that Republicans had used successfully.

As the economy deteriorated throughout the year, Van Hollen said, Democratic candidates continued to gain traction as voters placed the blame on Bush.

Ultimately, 23 of the 35 Senate seats up for grabs came from Republican territory, and the only Democrat who faced electoral trouble, Sen. Mary Landrieu (La.), was reelected.

House and Senate Democrats also benefited from a financial edge that they honed from both online fundraising and leveraging their majority status. From January 2007 through mid-October, the Democratic congressional committees had raised a combined $256 million, almost $75 million more than their GOP counterparts, according to Federal Election Commission reports.

Staff researchers Madonna Lebling and Julie Tate contributed to this report.