In the 2008 elections for the US Senate, the 3BlueDudes site counted the results as
Final Projection: DEMS: 58 GOP: 39 INDEP: 2 Runoff: 1

3BlueDudes called Alaska for Begich (D) and Minnesota for Franken (D). We had a mandatory recount in Minnesota, an extremely tight race in Alaska (won by the Democrat, Begich), and a runoff in Georgia, where the Republican, Saxby Chambliss, won. Lawyers and volunteers have gathered for legal challenges and observing recounts. With Minnesota decided for Franken, apart from inevitable lawsuits,
the final total is D57+I2, R41.

Replacements are needed for four Democratic Senators:

• Barack Obama, Illinois, President-Elect: Roland Burris
  
• Joe Biden, Deleware, Vice-President-Elect: Ted Kaufman
  
• Hillary Clinton, New York, Secretary of State designate: Apparently Kirsten Gillibrand
  
• Ken Salazar, Colorado, Secretary of the Interior designate: Michael Bennet
  

"In a mild surprise, Colorado Governor Bill Ritter has reportedly chosen Denver schools superintendent Michael Bennet to replace Salazar."--FiveThirtyEight.com

Georgia

Neither candidate reached 50% of the vote on Election Day, due to a third-party challenger. The resulting mandatory runoff between Democrat Jim Martin and Republican Saxby Chambliss was scheduled for Dec. 2. Chambliss won convincingly.

Chambliss is notorious for his smear campaign against Sen. Max Cleland, claiming that this Vietnam veteran and triple amputee is not patriotic. This time, with the Democrats clearly in the ascendant, Chambliss ran a much more centrist and moderately-toned campaign.

Alaska

Some (Guess who!) tried to call the election before all of the early and absentee ballots were counted, when Ted Stevens was ahead in the partial count. The later counting ran significantly toward Mark Begich, who took the lead.

Update: Begich has won, and top Republicans have called on Stevens to resign from the Senate.

Minnesota

Norm Coleman was ahead of Al Franken by the utterly miniscule margin of 206 votes in the initial count. The mandatory recount began on Wednesday Nov. 19. The Franken recount observer team and legal team are much better organized than the Coleman teams. Franken has won several important legal challenges.

On Dec. 2, the Franken team reported their estimate that Franken was only 50 votes behind. Someone discovered 171 uncounted ballots, giving Franken another 37. The rejected absentee ballots have still to be examined.

Update: Jan. 3, 2009: 900 absentee ballots have been counted. Franken is ahead by 225.

Franken will be seated, although lawsuits from Coleman will follow.