Election 2006: It's All Over; Dems Win

Well, Montana has come and gone. What looked to be the final Senate battleground has turned into yet another Democratic win after the AP projected Dem Jon Tester as the winner over Republican Conrad Burns in that very close MT Senate race. Tester quickly declared victory after the AP projection.

With 99% of precincts reporting, Tester had 198,032 votes, or 49.1%, to Burns' 194,904 votes, or 48.3%.


"One hundred thousand miles and 15 hours later, here we did it," Tester said Wednesday. "It is absolutely, critically important that we change the direction of the country.

"Now is the time to come together and put politics aside."

Meanwhile, Conrad Burns is AWOL. If that's not proof...

The swift victory from Tester in the early afternoon makes the Senate an almost certain lock for the Dems. The Allen vs. Webb race will not be over until late November, after recounts are done and the election is certified, but Webb has a nice cushion on Allen and both sides are acknowledging that Webb has won. Now it's a question of whether Allen's team, lead by that bitter Republican Ed Gillespie, will concede the inevitable or go down fighting. They have literally nothing to lose, so look for every trick possible to be used by Allen.

But no amount of post-election shenanigans will save Allen or the GOP. A stunning comeback from early deficits - even losing Tennessee - has put the Dems on top. Look for some real planning to start once a gleeful Chuck Schumer and Harry Reid have become sober once more. PB is still in shock over the thrashing doled out to the GOP. The biggest effect this election will have will be in the 2008 race. The GOP needs a centrist (McCain is looking really good right now) while the Democrats can afford to take a chance with maybe an Obama. Now it's the GOP that needs the likeable and moderate presidential candidate.