The U.S. Senate was divided 54-46 with a Republican majority before the Nov. 7 election. The new Senate will likely be 50-50 Republican and Democrat.

And it’s all thanks to Nader.

In Washington state, it seems Republican Sen. Slade Gorton was defeated by Democrat Maria Cantwell. Though a recount will begin today, Cantwell is ahead of Gorton by 1,953 votes out of more than 2.4 million.

Meanwhile, Nader received 94,543 votes in Washington. Similarly, in the Michigan Senate race, the Democratic candidate beat the Republican incumbent by 43,000. About 84,000 people in Michigan voted for Nader.

New York Senator-elect Hillary Clinton jokingly said the Green Party presidential candidate should killed for supposedly costing Democrat Al Gore the presidential election. However, Nader really helped her out.

A large portion of Nader supporters are first-time voters and those who voted for third-party candidates in previous presidential elections. They are voters who felt left out by the increasing centrism in the two major parties. Many of them would not even have gone to the polls if only Gore and George W. Bush were on the ticket. And since most Nader voters are liberal, they then voted for Democrats in the Senate and House races.

In gauging Nader’s effect on the election, Democrats are only looking to the numbers in Florida, where Nader’s votes added to Gore’s votes would’ve given Gore an overwhelming victory. But they’ve ignored the fact that Nader brought liberals to the polls.

And, thanks to Nader, the Democrats will probably over-take the Republicans in the Senate race of 2002.

Clinton, and other scape-goating Democrats, actually owe Nader an apology — and a thank you.