Winners
Rand Paul Republican - Kentucky
The Tea Party-backed son of upstart 2008 presidential candidate Ron Paul held the state for the GOP with a Senate platform that yo-yoed between conservative (anti-abortion) and libertarian (he's got big problems with the Patriot Act).
Tim Scott Republican - South Carolina
The backing of Sarah Palin helped propel him to Congress, becoming the first black Republican from the South elected to the House since Reconstruction.
Dan Coats Republican - Indiana
He became the first GOP member to scoop up a Democratic Senate seat, returning to the upper chamber after an absence of more than a decade.
Kelly Ayotte Republican - New Hampshire
She won her first campaign handily, holding onto a the Senate seat for the GOP in an open race.
John Thune Republican - South Dakota
In contrast to 2004, when he squeaked by then-minority leader Tom Daschle, the GOP senator touted as a possible presidential candidate in 2012.
David Vitter Republican - Louisiana
The incumbent senator has said his family forgave him for employing high-end prostitutes, and apparently voters did, too. Despite a series of attack ads highlighting his past indiscretions, he had little trouble scoring a second term.
Joe Manchin Democrat - West Virginia
The state governor pulled off an important win in a hard-fought battle, preserving a Democratic presence in the seat left empty by the death of the long-serving Robert Byrd last summer. He defeated John Raese, former chairman of the state GOP.
Nikki Haley Republican - South Carolina
She and her Tea Party supporters won a tight race against Vincent Sheheen for governor. A member of the state House, the 38-year-old was considered a longshot until an endorsement from Sarah Palin vaulted her to the Republican nomination.
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Losers
Christine O'Donnell Republican - Delaware
Best known for once admitting on national television that she had dabbled in witchcraft (and had a picnic with a warlock on a satanic altar), she couldn't conjure up the votes needed to spirit away the Senate seat previously held by Vice-President Joe Biden.
Charlie Crist Independent - Florida
In April, the moderate Republican governor made a desperate gamble to save his Senate campaign, ceding the GOP nomination to surging Tea Partier Marco Rubio and running as an independent. His roll of the dice was unsuccessful, as Mr. Rubio beat him by a wide margin.
Linda McMahon Republican - Connecticut
State Attorney-General Richard Blumenthal laid the smackdown on the former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO, who had run on a platform of fiscal austerity, while vowing to pour up to $50-million into her own Senate campaign to avoid taking donations from special-interest groups.
Alvin Greene Democrat - South Carolina
Despite a catchy hip-hop video that went viral on YouTube, this Democratic dark horse for the House - better known for a 2009 charge of propositioning a college student than for any policy positions - was easily defeated by incumbent and Tea Party ringleader Jim DeMint.
Carl Paladino Republican - New York
Not surprisingly, the outspoken Tea Party-backed candidate - who suggested housing the poor in empty prisons and told an aggressive reporter "I'll take you out!" - was thumped by Attorney-General Andrew Cuomo in the state's gubernatorial race.
Blanche Lincoln Democrat - Arkansas
The two-term senator took heat for backing health-care reform and lost to John Boozman, the brother of the man she beat in her first Senate run 12 years ago. Mr. Boozman becomes only the second GOP senator to win the Razorback State since Reconstruction.