Republican Deb Fischer won with 58 percent of the vote, while challenger Bob Kerrey got 42 percent.

FORBES: After Election Night, A House Still Divided In Washington

Bob Kerrey has not made a final decision on whether he will run for president in the year 2000.

CNN: AllPolitics - Kerrey's Mixed Messages

Bob Kerrey said Gore had consistently said he would concede the election if and when it became clear he had lost.

CNN: Gore content to let recounts play out

But the news that even Bob Kerrey, the ranking Democrat on the Senate's intelligence committee, was wavering in his support was enough to break his spirit.

ECONOMIST: The world's most thankless job

Bob Kerrey is the executive chairman of the Minerva Institute.

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For example, if Bush wins the White House and the Democrats are out of power, Bob Kerrey of Nebraska, Paul Wellstone of Minnesota or Richard Gephardt of Missouri might find an early start in neighboring Iowa to be of some advantage.

CNN: David Yepsen: Winners make Iowa, New Hampshire look good

The Democrats also have a good chance in Colorado, where they already control both state houses, the governor's mansion and one Senate seat, and in Nebraska, if they can get Bob Kerrey, a former governor and senator, to forsake academia for a return to politics.

ECONOMIST: The Democrats' hopes are not confined to the White House