Republicans pick up the first of the 10 seats they need to take the Senate majority.

From The Associated Press:

Former Sen. Dan Coats easily dispatched Rep. Brad Ellsworth in Indiana to win back the seat he voluntarily gave up a dozen years ago.

In Kentucky, where Paul was making his first run for political office, he prevailed over Democrat Jack Conway.

The Indiana seat marked a gain for Republicans, and the Kentucky race was the first indication that voters were ready to embrace at least some of the Republican candidates whom Democrats had pilloried for months as being too extreme to win elections.

Interviews with voters revealed an extraordinarily sour electorate, stressed financially and poorly disposed toward the president, the political parties and the federal government.