Democrats Gain 6 Senate Seats

Just two years after gaining six seats in the Senate, Democrats are poised to at least match that total again this year. With the mail-in votes finally being tallied in blue strongholds, Jeff Merkley has defeated incumbent Gordon Smith in Oregon. Here are the six newest members of the Senate's Democratic Caucus:

Clockwise from top left: Kay Hagan (D-NC), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Mark Warner (D-VA), Tom Udall (D-NM), Mark Udall (D-CO).

These are, of course, not all the new Democratic senators that we'll be seeing in the next Congress. There are still close races not yet called in Minnesota and Alaska, as well as a likely run-off here in Georgia. More obviously, though, we are soon to have new senators from Illinois and Delaware to replace a couple of guys who've found work elsewhere.