Republicans lose at least 1 seat in Conn.

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HARTFORD, Conn., Nov. 8 (UPI) -- Republican Congressman Chris Shays claimed re-election Tuesday night in Connecticut, while a Democrat defeated veteran Nancy Johnson.

Late in the evening, Shays claimed a 2 percent, 4,000-vote margin over Diane Farrell, Greenwich Time reported. Farrell refused to concede.

All three of Connecticut's Republican congressional representatives appeared to be vulnerable going into the election. Shays, a moderate, lost the endorsement of important newspapers -- such as The New York Times, which argued that this year electing Democrats to Congress took priority over almost everything else.

In the 5th District, Democrat Chris Murphy beat Johnson, who has served longer in Congress than anyone else in Connecticut history.

In the 2nd District, the race between Republican incumbent Rob Simmons and Democrat Joe Courtney was still undecided.