(11/07/06) MANHATTAN - New York's junior U.S. senator, Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton, easily won her second term in office Tuesday.

Clinton defeated Republican challenger John Spencer in a landslide victory after the former Yonkers mayor failed to gain the name recognition necessary to unseat the former first lady. Clinton led in the polls for her first re-election bid since day one. Painting Clinton as using New York as a stepstool to the White House, Spencer proved unable to make the image stick in voters' minds. Throughout the campaign the senator successfully positioned herself as a centrist concerned with New York issues.

First elected in 2000, Clinton will be sworn in to serve for another six years. Political experts say her "war chest", a reference to the large amount of campaign contributions Clinton received, has grown large enough to jumpstart a presidential run. Click here to watch Hillary Clinton's acceptance speechClick here to watch John Spencer's concession speech

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