The Democrats took the house and might even take the Senate.  Coverage everywhere.  But who are the new Democrats who have won, and what sort of philosophy do they draw on?

There are some interesting 'Conservative Democrat' blogs (here and here) worth investigating, and the New York Times previewed the profile of many Conservative Democrat candidates on 30th October:

Collectively, [conservative democrats] could tilt the balance of power within the party, which has been struggling to define itself in recent elections. The candidates cover the spectrum on political issues; some are fiscally conservative and moderate or liberal on social issues, some are the reverse. They could influence negotiations with Republicans on a variety of issues, including Social Security and stem cell research.

New York Times (requires free subscription)

Also in today's news

• Sacked or resigned?  The Tories have troubles with non-white, non-middle class candidates as reported in The Guardian and The Telegraph.
• John Reid has addressed shortcomings in the probation service in The Independent.  Not much detail - but offers vague hope for those wanting to see much greater reform in our penal system.