Democrats could end up with a one-seat majority, or the Senate could be tied at 50-50 with Vice President Dick Cheney the deciding vote.

"Obviously, we're disappointed to lose the House, and we may well have lost the Senate as well," said Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., in line to become the next Majority - or Minority - leader. "In the Senate, the minority is never irrelevant unless it falls down into the very small numbers. I don't think, as a practical matter, it's going to make a whole lot of difference in the Senate, being at 49."

Senate Democrats cheered the defeat of Republican senators in Ohio, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and Montana ¡ª and inched toward seizing Virginia, and with it the reins of the Senate.

"This, of course, has been a very exciting time for us," said Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid of Nevada.

After an overnight vote count in Montana, Democrat Jon Tester rode to victory over Burns, a three-term senator whose campaign was shadowed by a series of self-made missteps and his ties to Jack Abramoff, the disgraced lobbyist at the center of an influence-peddling investigation.

"One hundred thousand miles and 15 hours later, here we did it," said Tester, a flat-top wearing organic farmer who lost three fingers in a meat grinder.

On the other side of the country, the margin between Webb and Allen in Virginia was about 7,000 as state elections officials canvassed precincts to verify votes. They had until Nov. 14 to complete their review, but could announce the results sooner.

"The votes are in and we won," Webb declared, claiming victory anyway, setting a transition team in motion and calling himself senator-elect.

With so much on the line and a margin so thin, Allen refused to concede defeat.

"The conclusion of the canvass will be the final official results," said Ed Gillespie, the former Republican National Committee chairman and adviser to Allen, a swaggering cowboy boot-wearing former Virginia governor who favors football metaphors.

The possibility of a recount loomed large, and if one is held, it could take weeks to be conducted by a panel of judges. Electoral officials were canvassing the unofficial results Wednesday, and both parties had teams ready to monitor and intervene in the event of a recount.

Republicans lost ground with swing voters such as Catholics, independents, Hispanics and suburbanites, according to exit polls conducted for The Associated Press and the networks. The GOP held its conservative base, but Democrats made inroads with moderates.

"We came to Washington to change government and government changed us," lamented Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., his eye on the next election in 2008. "We departed rather tragically from our conservative principles."

In the House, Democrats won 229 seats and led in three, putting them on track for a 30-seat gain if trends held in remaining unsettled races. Party standings in that event would be 232-203.

Without losing any seats of their own, Democrats captured 28 GOP-held seats. The party won in every region of the country and hoped to strengthen their majority by besting Republican incumbents in eight races that were too close to call.

Putting another notch in the Democratic column on Wednesday, Pennsylvania Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick, a freshman, lost his re-election bid to Democrat Patrick Murphy, a decorated Iraq war veteran, by about 1,500 votes.

In Ohio, Rep. Deborah Pryce, the No. 4-ranking Republican in the House, struggled to fend off a fierce challenge from Democrat Mary Jo Kilroy in Columbus, and GOP Rep. Jean Schmidt, who famously suggested that a decorated Marine veteran of Vietnam named John Murtha was a coward, faced the possibility of defeat in her southern Ohio district. Both were leading but the final tallies were complicated by provisional and absentee ballots.

Republican incumbents also were slightly ahead in four other states but those margins were too tight to declare a winner. They were GOP Reps. Heather Wilson in New Mexico, Robin Hayes in North Carolina, Dave Reichart in Washington and Barbara Cubin in Wyoming.

In Connecticut, Democrat Joe Courtney sought to hang on to a minuscule 170-vote lead over Rep. Rob Simmons in a race that appeared headed for an automatic recount.

Elsewhere, Texas GOP Rep. Henry Bonilla was headed to a December runoff against Democrat Ciro Rodriguez because the congressman got only 48 percent of the vote in an eight-candidate field. He needed 50 percent to avoid a runoff.

Aside from gains in Congress, Democrats took 20 of 36 governors' races to give them a majority of top state jobs - 28 - for the first time in a dozen years. New York, Ohio, Massachusetts, Colorado, Maryland and Arkansas went into the Democratic column.

In down-ballot races, Democrats gained a decisive edge in state legislatures, taking control of a number of bodies and solidifying their hold on others. With the wins, Democrats will be in a better position to shape state policy agendas and will play a key role in drawing Congressional districts.

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