First-term Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R.-N.C.) edged out Sen. Norm Coleman (R.-Minn.), 28 to 27, to take the reins of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Dole will be the only new face in the Senate Republican leadership team for the new Congress. The GOP re-elected Sen. Bill Frist (R.-Tenn.) as majority leader and retained Senators Mitch McConnell (R.-Ky.) as whip, Rick Santorum (R.-Pa.) as conference chairman, Jon Kyl (R.-Ariz.) as policy committee chairman, and Kay Bailey Hutchison (R.-Texas) as conference vice-chairman.
