Washington Wrap

Dotty Lynch, Beth Lester, Allison Davis, Lauren Glasser and Lucy Kafanov from the CBS News Political and Campaign '04 Units have the latest political news from Washington and from the trail.

Thursday's Headlines

* Enough Celebration: What's Next

* Senate's New Democratic Leadership

* How the House Shapes Up

Who's Next: After exactly 24 hours of congratulatory stories for George W. Bush, the chattering class is back at work looking for the next big political story. And although Bush's second term plans, Cabinet changes and the Democrats' internal implosion are interesting lines, the parlor games are beginning about the next contenders in the presidential meat grinder.

On the Republican side, with a nomination fight only four years away, "Senate GOP leaders took their valedictory laps Wednesday as some insiders already began to consider the ramifications of the triumph on the 2008 presidential campaign," reports Roll Call. The two top contenders appear to be Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., and Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Sen. George Allen, R-Va. Reports Roll Call, "After a two-year battle that at times resembled guerrilla warfare on the Senate floor...Frist and Allen teamed up to break open the margins in the chamber and dramatically boost their own standing within the party."

Of course, New Yorkers like George Pataki and Rudy Giuliani probably think that Washington Republicans may not be the answer. And a Bush 44 does not seem to be in the offing: Florida Governor Jeb Bush said last week that he will not run in 2008.

On the Democratic side, reports the New York Times, "many Democrats in and out of Washington are mentioning [Sen. Hillary Rodham] Clinton, the junior senator from New York, as the leading contender for the party's nomination in 2008." Others making the early bird punditry special? "Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico, Gov. Tom Vilsack of Iowa and, of course, John Edwards, Mr. Kerry's running mate," says the Times.

Senate's New Leadership: As the Democrats regroup from Tuesday's losses, one fight they won't have is one for a leader to replace Tom Daschle. Nevada Senator Harry Reid put out a statement on Wednesday afternoon saying, "after a difficult conversation with my close friend Tom Daschle in the early morning hours, I began lining up support to become the Democratic leader. I have commitments from a majority of my colleagues who have given me their strong support. Earlier today, I received a call from President Bush and we discussed the need for reconciliation. I appreciate the President reaching out, and I look forward to working with him on important issues for Nevada and the nation."

The Washington Post reports Thursday that Senator Harry Reid, who won re-election handedly in Nevada, has enough votes "among the Senate's 44 remaining Democrats to win" and that his only true competition, Senator Christopher Dodd of Connecticut, "said he would not run and will support Reid." Reid apparently had lined up 30 votes of the 44 remaining Democrats.

A fight that may occur is for the job of Democratic Senate Whip between Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois and Sen. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota. The Hill reports that "although both men are well-respected in the caucus, some critics have said Dorgan is haunted by the same liability as Daschle: He represents a conservative state that could hinder his dual role as a party leader."

'Why would we vote in another Dakotan to be in leadership right now to be in a solidly red state?' one Senate Democratic aide asked. 'There's still simmering bad feelings because Dorgan voted for the Medicare bill, and nobody's forgotten. That's two big strikes against him.'"

The House: As predicted, the number of Republicans and Democrats in the new House is not too different from the old one. As of now, it looks like there will be there will be 232 Republicans, 200 Democrats, one Independent. Two seats in Louisiana will have run-offs in December. The old house had 229 Republicans, 205 Democrats and one independent. In Texas, the Republicans picked up 4 of the 5 new districts created by redistricting. Here is a recap of what happened in CBS News' "hot races."

Colorado 3
Democrat John Salazar won Colorado's 3rd House district 51 percent to 46 percent, effectively quenching Republican Greg Walcher's bid for the House. Republican Rep. Scott McInnis retired leaving his seat open for contest.

Georgia 12
Freshman incumbent Rep. Max Burns (R) lost to John Barrow, a Democratic lawyer and former Athens-Clarke County Commissioner.

Illinois 8
Democratic businesswoman Melissa Bean succeeded in unseating 17-term incumbent Republican Congressman Philip Crane. The race was considered a long shot by Bean at the start of the campaign, yet she defeated Crane 52 percent to 48 percent. She had run against Crane in 2002.

Indiana 9
Democratic incumbent Rep. Baron Hill conceded defeat to Republican challenger Mike Sodrel. The race was close with each receiving 49% of the vote. In 2002 Sodrel lost by mere five points but come back this year to win.

Kentucky 4
Democrat Nick Clooney (yes, the father of actor George Clooney) lost 44 percent to 54 percent to GOP challenger Geoff Davis. This race was considered a toss-up and the seat was left open by the retirement of Democrat Rep. Ken Lucas. However, this district is now heavily Republican and gave 61 percent of its votes to President Bush in 2000.

Nebraska 1
Democratic State Senator Matt Connealy (D) lost to Lincoln City Republican councilman Jeff Fortenberry. Fortenberry will succeed retiring Republican Rep. Doug Bereuter.

New York 27
Democratic assemblyman Brian Higgins ran against Republican Comptroller Nancy Naples in this district, though the race is still too close to be called as of midday. Naples has the advantage of being the former comptroller from Erie County which makes up 80 percent of the district, while Higgins is likely to have picked up much of the crucial labor vote. As of midday Higgins led Naples 51 percent to 49, though the race has not yet been officially called.

Pennsylvania 8
Rep. Jim Greenwood's seat in Pennsylvania, contested by Mike Fitzpatrick (R) and Ginny Schrader (D), remains under Republican control as Fitzpatrick defeated Schrader 55 to 44 percent.

Pennsylvania 13
Joe Hoeffel (D) left his seat open for the taking, although failing to reach Senatorial success. The democrats maintain control as Allyson Schwartz (D) gained victory over Melissa Brown (R) 56 to 41 Percent.

Texas 1
Four-term Democrat incumbent, Max Sandlin (D) was beaten 61 to 38 percent by Republican challenger, Louis Gohmert.

Texas 2
Another four-term Texan Democrat incumbent has been defeated, as Nick Lampson lost the race to Republican competitor Ted Poe, 55 to 43 percent. The newly drawn 2nd district is strongly Republican and holds only about half of Lampson's old district

Texas 19
Recent redistricting in Texas incited a battle of incumbents: Republican Randy Neugebauer was victorious over Democrat Charlie Stenholm, taking the seat by winning 58 percent to 40 percent.

Texas 32
Democrat Martin Frost lost his seat to Republican Pete Sessions, 54 to 44 percent. The area seems to be a Republican territory-more than half the district was in Session's old district.

Washington 5
Republican incumbent George Nethercutt retired in order to run for Senate, and former state House Minority leader Republican Cathy McMorris beat retired West Coast Hospitality Corp. CEO Don Barbieri, 60 to 40 percent.

Quote of the Day: "I am not running for president in 2008." --Illinois Sen.-elect Barack Obama's response to what he called a "silly question." (Chicago Sun-Times)