Continued: Senate seat is bigger than Minnesota

WASHINGTON - As the recount goes on in the U.S. Senate race in Minnesota, so, too, could the Democrats' hopes of a filibuster-proof 60-vote "super majority."

With so much at stake, political analysts watching the virtual tie between Republican Sen. Norm Coleman and DFL challenger Al Franken say they expect lawyers and other representatives for the two parties to bring their expertise to bear on the pending recount. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which heavily supported Coleman, is also weighing its options.

After picking up at least five seats Tuesday, Democrats hold 56 seats -- the majority -- in the Senate. That's four short of the magic number needed to block delaying tactics and move forward with controversial legislation, but four races -- including Minnesota's -- remained in doubt Wednesday night.

The political arithmetic in the Senate takes on added significance because of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama's victory in the presidential race and Democratic gains in the U.S. House, giving them their best chance in years to put a strong Democratic imprint on issues such as health care, energy, taxes and business regulation.

"As Tuesday's results demonstrate, the voters have sent a message that it's time for change, with another Democratic seat," said Jim Manley, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada.

Countered Sen. John Ensign, the Nevada Republican who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee: "Sen. Coleman is critical to maintaining a Republican firewall against the radical Democratic agenda."

The closest of the close

Besides Minnesota, contests in Alaska, Oregon and Georgia were still not decided Wednesday, although none was as close as the 477 votes separating Coleman and Franken.

Georgia might still require a runoff election between Democrat Jim Martin and Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss, who is teetering just below the 50 percent threshold needed to win election outright.

In Oregon, elections officials reported that Republican Sen. Gordon Smith held a narrow lead Wednesday over Democratic challenger Jeff Merkley. And in Alaska, Republican stalwart Ted Stevens, recently convicted of seven felony counts of failing to report expensive gifts from a top contributor, held a slight lead over Democrat Mark Begich, the mayor of Anchorage.

Even if Stevens wins, his political future remains in doubt, as does the balance of power in the Senate. Republican leaders -- including Arizona Sen. John McCain, this year's GOP presidential hopeful -- have called on Stevens to resign. Republican Leader Mitch McConnell has also said Stevens likely faces attempts to expel him from the Senate if he is reelected.

But only in Minnesota is there the certainty of an automatic recount.

That has made the state ground zero in the partisan scrum for control of the Senate, where Supreme Court nominations and high-profile legislative fights frequently devolve into filibusters that require 60 votes to break.

McConnell and other Republican leaders were quick to offer their congratulations to Coleman on Wednesday, declaring him the winner of a hard-fought race against Franken, a well-known comedian and author who had captivated much of the nation's attention.

"Given the great challenges we face, I look forward to continuing to work with Senator Coleman in the next Congress," said Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl, the Senate's assistant Republican's leader.

Democrats, meanwhile, buoyed by Obama's victory in the presidential election, are seeking build on their electoral gains.

All about the filibuster

"This race [in Minnesota] is very important to the future of this country," said Matthew Miller, a spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. "You have a Democratic president taking office with an agenda to change America, and I think Minnesotans want a senator who is going to work with that president, and not try to obstruct him."

The filibuster issue is highlighted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's strong interest in the race. The Chamber spent some $2.1 million in ads against Franken, mostly keying on tax issues and Democratic "card-check" legislation, which would make it easier for unions to organize workers.

The House has already passed a card-check bill, and the only thing standing it its way has been a Republican filibuster that Coleman supported.

"What we're looking at is what does the 60-vote threshold mean for this issue and a host of other issues," said Doug Loon, the Chamber's vice president for regional affairs in Minnesota. Accordingly, Loon said, the Chamber is "weighing all options" in deciding whether to support Republican efforts in the recount, which involves an estimated 2.9 million ballots and could take at least several weeks to resolve.

For the moment, the Republican and Democratic parties in Minnesota are building their own teams of lawyers in advance of the recount. But activists on both sides say privately that they expect to see the involvement of national party lawyers who have more experience in recount disputes.

But even then, the Senate's balance of power remains up in the air. Democratic governors in Illinois and Delaware likely will appoint Democratic replacements to the seats being vacated by Sens. Barack Obama and Joe Biden. While few observers expect the Democrats to gain all four of the remaining Senate contests, they might be close enough to the 60-vote margin they want with the help of centrist Republicans such as Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine.

Then, too, some speculate, that the new Democratic mood in Washington could be a moderating force on other Republicans, including Coleman, who defines himself as a pragmatist willing to work across the aisle