PITTSBURGH -- U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter walked away victorious from a nail-biter of a race Tuesday night.

Specter captured 52 percent of the vote to eek out a victory over Democratic challenger Joe Hoeffel.

Hoeffel held a lead over Specter for the early part of the night, but Specter surged ahead to come away with the victory.

This is a record 5th term for Specter.

And his re-election could have an impact on the future of the Supreme Court.

Specter is also in line to chair the Judiciary Committee.

That means he could oversee any Supreme Court nominations that reach the senate in the next two years.

That is an especially pressing issue right now.

Just one week ago, Chief Justice William Rehnquist, 80, announced he has thyroid cancer.