GEORGIA Senator Sam Nunn, the Democrat who heads the Armed Services Com mittee, was unopposed in his quest for a fourth term, but there were enough bruising races to excite the voters.

With the situation in Iraq still so controversial (and the bruising presidential race waged around it still fresh in the public mind), some will complain that "Last Letters" is inherently political, focused as it is on the human costs of war.

Like Mr. Mitchell, Mr. Gantt won his nomination after the top Democratic contenders, like former Gov. James Hunt, declined to run in what would be a bruising race.

Senator Alfonse M. D'Amato went to Orthodox Jewish communities in Brooklyn, portraying himself as an underdog in the final weekend of the bruising race.

His audience, after all, was a roomful of Assembly Democrats, a group that helped unite the state party against him five years ago when he ran a bruising and ultimately unsuccessful race for governor.

Gary Stevens, who rode General Challenge, said it was a bruising race.

Mr Obama clinched the Democratic Party's nomination in June 2008, following a long and bruising primary race with former first lady and fellow Democratic senator, Hillary Clinton.

The outcome of the bruising race was too close to call on election night, but on the following day, Packwood emerged as the winner with about 52% of the vote to AuCoin's 48.

A Clinton senatorial campaign is likely to be the most bruising and high-stakes race of 2006.