On an Election Day, which proved to be hazardous for incumbents, at least four of five Dartmouth alumni seeking reelection have held firm in their Congressional bids.
Four seats in the House of Representatives were retained by graduates of the College. The race for a Washington Senate seat remains in question, however, pending the tabulation of absentee ballots.
Incumbent Republican Sen. Slade Gorton '49 is facing strong opposition from Democratic challenger Maria Cantwell in that race, which remains too close to call.
With over 99 percent of all precincts reporting, Gorton held a lead of just over 3,000 votes, with almost 1.8 million votes counted.
Gorton is hoping that his stances on taxes and the environment will prove the difference in the hard-fought campaign.
The process of counting the state's remaining absentee ballots, numbering in the thousands, may continue until Nov. 22.
Similar to the presidential blunders, both Gorton and Cantwell have been declared victorious by media outlets at various times. Conflicting exit poll interpretations taken by major networks contributed to the confusion.
In New Hampshire's second district, which includes Hanover, Republican Rep. Charlie Bass '74 was seeking a fourth term in the House.
Returns showed that Bass had won reelection over Democrat Barney Brannen, emerging with approximately 56 percent of the vote to Brannen's 41 percent.
Although Brannen outspent Bass by a large margin during the campaign, Bass was aided by active field representatives and an endorsement from Sen. John McCain.
As expected, Ohio's second district voted strongly in support of a fourth term in Congress for Republican Rep. Rob Portman '78.
Constituents favored his stances on reforming Social Security, Medicare, and the Internal Revenue Service, giving him 74 percent of the votes cast while Democratic candidate Charles Sanders received only 23 percent.
Republican Rep. Don Sherwood '63 of Pennsylvania sought reelection for the first time on Tuesday, running against Democrat Pat Casey in the state's 10th district.
Sherwood's involvement in the Tunkhannock community helped him in the election, and it appears as though he has eked out a slim victory, garnering 52 percent of the vote to his opponent's 48 percent.
In Massachusetts, Democratic Rep. Michael Capuano '73, running unopposed, was reelected for the first time in the state's eighth district.
