Republican U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss beat back a prolonged challenge from Democrat Jim Martin on Tuesday to win a second term in office after a bruising four-week runoff between the one-time University of Georgia fraternity brothers.

Chambliss’ double-digit victory dashed Democrats’ dreams of securing a filibuster-proof, 60-vote “supermajority” in the Senate and buoyed a Republican Party battered by staggering losses in the Nov. 4 general election.

“Republicans still know how to win an election,” Republican National Committee Chairman Mike Duncan told hundreds of Chambliss supporters at the Cobb Energy Centre.

Chambliss said GOP volunteers from 43 states came to Georgia to assist his runoff bid, licking envelopes, calling voters and knocking on doors to get voters back to the polls.

“You’re the reason this happened,” the 65-year-old Moultrie lawmaker told cheering supporters. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.”

Thank God for small victories. Perhaps if we can convince the few rational Democrats (and there are a few) that we don't want to head down the primrose path to Marxism we can deny Obama, Pelosi and Reid a complete and total domination of the legislative agenda. There's a lot to be said for gridlock in a situation like this.