Southern election results

A review of state-by-state election results across the South, excerpted from The New York Times:

Alabama: Considered vulnerable early this year, Gov. Bob Riley, a Republican, made a remarkable comeback and won re-election over Lt. Gov. Lucy Baxley. Five of the seven contested House districts were considered safe for Republicans.

Arkansas: In the race for governor, State Attorney General Mike Beebe, a Democrat, defeated former Representative Asa Hutchinson, a Republican and a former under secretary in the Homeland Security Department. In House races, none of the four incumbents, three Democrats and a Republican, faced a close challenge. Voters approved a measure to allow bingo and raffles by charitable groups; Arkansas was one of only four states where that type of gambling was illegal.

Florida: Senator Bill Nelson, a Democrat, overwhelmed his Republican challenger, Katherine Harris, the former secretary of state best known for her oversight of the presidential recount of 2000, who ran an erratic campaign. In the battle to succeed Gov. Jeb Bush, who had high approval ratings but was unable to run because of term limits, State Attorney General Charlie Crist, a Republican, easily defeated United States Representative Jim Davis, a Democrat. Democrats increased their share of Florida’s 25 Congressional seats to 9 from 7.

Georgia: Gov. Sonny Perdue, Republican, overwhelmed his Democratic opponent, Lt. Gov. Mark Taylor. Only 2 of 13 House races appeared competitive, and both were in districts where the president campaigned against incumbent Democrats: Representative Jim Marshall faced a credible challenge from Mac Collins, a Republican former congressman; and Representative John Barrow was battling another former congressman, Max Burns.

Kentucky: A majority of voters in Kentucky are Democrats, but going into this election, Democrats held only one of the state’s six Congressional seats. This year they increased their share to two.

Louisiana: A 13-way bipartisan brawl for the seat of Representative William J. Jefferson, a Democrat from New Orleans suspected of taking bribes, will require a runoff in December to decide. But the seat will remain Democratic.

Mississippi: Senator Trent Lott, a Republican, comfortably secured his re-election.

North Carolina: Heath Shuler, a Democratic businessman and former National Football League quarterback, defeated the eight-term Republican incumbent, Charles H. Taylor, for the House seat in the 11th District, in western North Carolina. Before the election, Republicans held a seven-to-six advantage over Democrats in the state’s Congressional delegation, but Mr. Shuler’s victory tipped that balance.

South Carolina: Voters approved a constitutional amendment barring legal recognition of same-sex unions and re-elected the Republican governor. Troubles with electronic voting machines resulted in long lines. Mr. Sanford was initially turned away by poll workers because he did not have a voter registration card.

Tennessee: In one of the nation’s most bitterly fought Senate races, Bob Corker, a Republican, narrowly defeated Representative Harold E. Ford Jr., a Democrat from Memphis. Gov. Phil Bredesen, a Democrat, easily won a second term, defeating State Senator Jim Bryson.

Virginia: A razor-thin margin separated the candidates in Virginia’s closely watched Senate race. Senator George Allen, a Republican haunted by campaign miscues, traded leads throughout the night with Jim Webb, a Democrat, in a contest that seemed headed for a recount.