BREAKING NEWS

Republicans now without Jewish senator

Incumbent Norm Coleman's defeat in the drawn-out Minnesota Senate race leaves US Republicans without a Jewish senator for the first time in half a century. Two months ago, another Jewish Republican, Arlen Specter, switched parties to become a Democrat. Coleman conceded his long-contested race with Democratic challenger Al Franken on Tuesday after the Minnesota Supreme Court rejected Coleman's legal challenge. The Republicans have had at least one Jewish senator since New York's Jacob Javits took office in 1957, reaching a peak of three during the mid-1980s.