Democrats have improved their position in US Congress in late returns, though a majority in either house has eluded them.
In New Jersey state, the nation's last undecided house seat was won by Democrat Rush Holt, who narrowly defeated Republican Dick Zimmer by 672 votes. Zimmer said that he expected a recount.
If the recount confirms the same result, the Republicans will have 221 seats in the House of Representatives and the Democrats 212. There are two independents, who frequently vote with the Democrats.
In the last undecided Senate race, Democrat Maria Cantwell edged out incumbent three-term Republican Senator Slade Gorton by 1,953 votes.
Machine count has given her 1,199,260 votes or 48.72 per cent of the votes and Gorton 1,197,307 or 48.64 per cent. In such cases, a recount is automatic under state law.
If the recount confirms Cantwell's victory, the US Senate will be divided evenly between the two parties (50 seats for the Republicans and 50 seats for the Democrats) for the first time in more than a century.
In such cases, if Senators vote on party lines, the vice president breaks the tie. If George Bush becomes president, his vice president Dick Cheney will break the tie and save Republican programmes which require only a simple majority and not a two-thirds majority.
Bureau Report
