After winning the presidency, Democrats had even more reason to celebrate Tuesday night: major gains in both houses of Congress.

In the Senate, Democrats snatched away at least five seats from the GOP, but fell short of the 60 they would have needed to win a filibuster-proof majority — even with races in Minnesota, Oregon and Alaska too close or too early to call as of early Wednesday morning.

“It is not a mandate for a party or ideology but a mandate for change,” said Senate Majority leader Harry Reid of Nevada.

Aside from Sen. Mary Landrieu’s re-election in Louisiana, Democrats also acclaimed Senate successes by former Gov. Mark Warner in Virginia, Rep. Tom Udall in New Mexico and Rep. Mark Udall in Colorado, who won seats left open by Republican retirements.

In New Hampshire, former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen defeated Republican Sen. John Sununu in a re-match of their 2002 race, and Sen. Elizabeth Dole fell to Democrat Kay Hagan in North Carolina.
Sen. Joe Biden won another new term in Delaware, but will resign that seat before he is sworn in as vice president.

The Senate’s Republican leader, Mitch McConnell, survived a scare in Kentucky, and in Georgia Sen. Saxby Chambliss hoped to avoid a December run-off election.

Entering this election, Democrats held control of the Senate by a slim 51-49 margin, counting two independents who vote with them.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California echoed Reid’s sentiments: “Tonight the American people have called for a new direction. They have called for change in America.”

The Democrats expanded control of the House and were headed for historic gains in their majority by solidifying their dominance in the Northeast and making inroads in the South and West on Tuesday.

It marked the first time in more than 75 years that Democrats were on track for big House gains in back-to-back elections. They picked up 30 seats in 2006.

Democrats unseated eight House Republican incumbents and captured nine open GOP seats, capitalizing on the unusually high 29 Republican departures. Republicans were only able to knock off four Democratic incumbents.

With two dozen races undecided, Democrats had won 246 and were leading for another 10. Republicans had won 162 and were also leading in 15. If those trends held, Democrats could have a net gain of 20 seats. And Republicans were on track for their smallest numbers since 1994, the year a Republican Revolution retook the House for the first time in 40 years.