Early votes started to trickle in on Senate races Tuesday evening, although there were no declared winners yet in any of the competitive baker's dozen of seats that will determine who controls the chamber next year.
 
Whether the Democrats maintain their majority in the Senate, or the Republicans wrestle back control after six years in the minority will play a large role in determining how successful the winner in the presidential race will be in implementing his platform over the next four years.
In early returns, Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders cruised to re-election in Vermont, one of the dozen seats where the incumbent is expected to face little problem in winning a new term. One of those is the open seat in Texas where
 
In Indiana, a state that is key to control of the Senate, CNN reported that with an admittedly small 7% of the vote counted, Republican state treasurer
 
Heading into 2012, the widely held view was that this election cycle represented the GOP's strongest chance to take control of the chamber after six years in the minority.
 
The GOP was being forced to defend 10 seats, compared with the Democrats' 23. And many of the Democratic seats were in moderate parts of the U.S. that often vote Republican.
But the unexpected retirement of a Republican moderate, combined with a series of missteps by Republican candidates—and strong campaigns waged by Democratic challengers—have placed obstacles before Republicans in their efforts to take back the Senate.
 
Democrats now have a 53-47 majority, including two independents who generally vote with them, meaning Republicans would need to win a net four seats Tuesday to be assured of a majority. A 50-50 tie means that the vice president of the party in the White House would break deadlocks in the Senate.
 
The Democrats have incumbents running in traditionally GOP-friendly territories Missouri and Montana, as well as incumbents and challengers for open seats competing in swing states Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin. And because of retirements by Democratic lawmakers, the Democrats have also had to compete in states like Nebraska and North Dakota, which had been held by a Democratic senator despite being red-leaning states.
In contrast, the only GOP incumbent in a blue state seeking re-election was Sen. Scott Brownin Massachusetts, while Sen. Dean Helleris seeking his first full term in the swing state of Nevada.
 
But then Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine said she was retiring, putting her blue-leaning state in play, while candidates for open seats in Indiana and Arizona haven't run as strongly as some had anticipated.
 
Real Clear Politics, the political-aggregation website, said that according to its polls of polls, Democrats are leading in all of these races except for Arizona, Nebraska, and Nevada, while the race in Montana between incumbent Democratic Sen. Jon Testerand challenger Rep. Dennis Rehbergis a virtual tie.



Other News:
GOP Faces Obstacles in Regaining Senate Control
Canada's Flaherty points out G20 risks becoming irrelevant
Fiscal cliff would start US recession
Australian stocks waver while Westpac jumps
Romney takes electoral-vote lead, with Ohio and Virginia too close to call
Storm-affected residents went to vote despite Sandy
New York's Economics Blackout
The Argentine great anti-government protests