Republican wins bellwether House race  —  A former Republican congressman narrowly beat his Democratic rival early Wednesday for the right to fill the House seat once held by jailed Randy "Duke" Cunningham, a race closely watched as a possible early barometer of next fall's vote.

Supporters lose in gay marriage ban vote  —  WASHINGTON - The Senate on Wednesday rejected a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, dealing a defeat to President Bush and Republicans who hoped to use the measure to energize conservative voters on Election Day.

Retirement Account of DeLay's Wife Traced  —  With Disclosure, Family's Known Benefits From Ties With Lobbyist Exceed $490,000  —  A registered lobbyist opened a retirement account in the late 1990s for the wife of then-House Whip Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) and contributed thousands of dollars …

Riley, Baxley win Alabama nominations  —  Alabama Gov. Bob Riley easily beat back a GOP primary challenge from Ten Commandments judge Roy Moore on Tuesday, while Democratic former Gov. Don Siegelman lost his comeback fight against the state's first female lieutenant governor.

Senate Contender in Florida Presses On  —  VENICE, Fla. — Undaunted by a run of horrific poll numbers, staff turmoil and public doubts from leaders of her party, Representative Katherine Harris is thinking confidently beyond November.  —  Once Ms. Harris wins her race for a Senate seat …

Block the Vote, Ohio Remix  —  If there was ever a sign of a ruling party in trouble, it is a game plan that calls for trying to win by discouraging voting.  —  The latest sign that Republicans have an election-year strategy to shut down voter registration drives comes from Ohio.

Salvaging Iraq  —  The images from Iraq are of hell on earth: On Sunday 12 Iraqi students traveling to Baqubah to take their final exams were dragged from a bus and killed because they practiced the wrong religion.  The next day gunmen dressed in police uniforms kidnapped 56 people near …

McKinney deal may be in works  —  Lawyer rejects talk of any negotiations  —  WASHINGTON — Federal prosecutors investigating the confrontation between Rep. Cynthia McKinney of Georgia and a Capitol police officer have been talking privately with McKinney's office in hopes of resolving …

Technology Sharpens the Incumbents' Edge  —  Redistricting Also Complicates Democrats' Effort to Take Control of House  —  In Ohio's 1st Congressional District, Republican incumbent Steve Chabot is running up against his toughest reelection challenge in years.  But his Democratic opponent is running up against Chabot's computer.

A SMEAR YOU CAN'T TAKE BACK  —  The London Times is getting praise for issuing an apology over falsely captioning an April 2005 picture of fishermen executed at a Haditha, Iraq stadium by insurgents as depicting victims of Marines in the Nov. 19 incident still under investigation—which I reported over the weekend.