ATLANTA: Republican US Sen Saxby Chambliss won a run-off election in Georgia yesterday, denying Democrats the chance of a 60-seat "super majority" in the Senate that would have enabled them to pass legislation virtually at will.

Chambliss, the incumbent, defeated Democrat Jim Martin for the seat in a race that gained national significance because Democrats and their independent allies held 58 of the 100 seats in the Senate after the November 4 election.