Former New Hampshire Gov. Jeanne Shaheen is projected to win the New Hampshire Senate race over Republican incumbent Sen. John Sununu in a closely watched re-match that could propel the Democrats closer to a 60-seat majority.

The race marks the third Democratic pickup after former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner was projected to win retiring Republican Sen. John Warner’ seat and Democrat Kay Hagan was projected to unseat incumbent Republican Sen. Elizabeth Dole on North Carolina.

The New Hampshire race, a re-match from 2002, was one of the most-watched from the start. Sununu won the 2002 race with 51 percent of the vote to Shaheen’s 47 percent.

With polls showing Sen. Barack Obama with a lead over Republican Sen. John McCain, analysts said the big story could be Democratic gains in the Senate.

“The Senate races may be the things that we pay the most attention to. They will determine the president’s power,” columnist Mark Shields said on the NewsHour Tuesday night.

In total, 35 U.S. Senate seats are at stake — 23 of these are currently held by Republicans, while the Democrats are defending 12 slots. Five of the Republican seats are open.

Shaheen had help from former President Bill Clinton who campaigned in the state over the weekend.

In the final weeks, the New Hampshire campaign centered around the economic crisis, with the two sparring over the $700 billion financial bailout bill. Sununu voted for it, while Shaheen said in a debate on Oct. 1 that she would have opposed it because it lacked oversight.

Shaheen also tried to link Sununu to President Bush, claiming during her campaign that he voted with President Bush 90 percent of the time.

A poll average by Real Clear Politics had Shaheen ahead by 9 percent.

The state was also a presidential battleground, but Obama was projected the winner of the state’s four Electoral College votes about twenty minutes after the polls closed.