Democrats took another step closer to the magical number of a 60 vote majority in the U.S. Senate as convicted Sen. Ted Stevens has lost his bid for re-election to the Mayor of Anchorage, Mark Begich.

Begich declared victory - on Stevens' 85th birthday - as a final count of absentee ballots pushed the Democrat's lead to over 3,700 votes by late on Tuesday.

The tally came hours after Senate Republicans delayed a closed door vote that could have resulted in Stevens being expelled from the Senate GOP Caucus, waiting to see what the final vote results would be in Alaska.

Stevens was described last night in one Associated Press dispatch as a "crotchety octegenarian," which certainly sums it up quite well - except that he's been yelling at staffers, reporters and other Senators for the many years I have covered Capitol Hill.

One of my first jobs was stringing for Alaska Public Radio on the Hill, and I remember clearly being in a small sit down in his office.  I asked him a question about the controversial oil drilling area known as ANWR, and he pounded the table with his fist, yelling at my characterization of the issue.

By no means am I the only one who has gotten the Stevens Treatment!

Now Democrats have picked up seven seats in this election, with two races still to be decided in Minnesota and Georgia.

The recount in Minnesota will go for weeks, while Georgia voters will cast ballots in a runoff election in early December.

If the Dems win them both, they will have 60 votes.

No wonder they kept Joe Lieberman around, eh?