Who Will Control the Senate? It Could Take a While to Find Out

For Immediate Release November 5, 2002

Who Will Control the Senate? It Could Take a While to Find Out, Says Swarthmore College Political Scientist

Anyone interested in the nail-biter question of which party will control the Senate after today's election may have to wait a while to find out, says Keith W. Reeves, a Swarthmore College political scientist and policy analyst.

"I expect the Democrats to make a number of significant gains with respect to the governorships across the country," Reeves says. "Republicans are very likely to keep control of the House, but there are a number of Senate races that are still too close to call. It is quite possible that we may not know which party will control the Senate for a few weeks yet because of anticipated recounts."

Reeves, the author of the highly acclaimed Voting Hopes or Fears?: White Voters, Black Candidates, and Racial Politics in America (1997), also notes that a record number of African-American candidates are running for office this election cycle.

Reeves, a 1988 Swarthmore alumnus, is director of the Center for Social and Policy Studies. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 1994, and prior to his appointment at Swarthmore, served for six years on the faculty of Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Located near Philadelphia, Swarthmore is a highly selective liberal arts college with an enrollment of 1,450. Swarthmore is consistently ranked among the top liberal arts colleges in the country.