Max Cleland to wed longtime companion

ATLANTA - Democratic Sen. Max Cleland, who lost his re-election bid to Rep. Saxby Chambliss last week, plans to marry longtime companion Nancy Ross.

Cleland, 60, proposed the day after the election, spokeswoman Patricia Murphy said Wednesday.

``It goes to show you there certainly is life after the Senate,'' Murphy told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. ``They'll ride off into the sunset.''

Ross, an official with the U.S. Postal Service, often pushed Cleland's wheelchair or stood in the background during speeches during his re-election campaign. Cleland, who lost both legs and an arm in Vietnam, referred to her during a public appearance in May as his ``dear, special friend.''

Murphy said no date has been set for a wedding.

Cleland has declined interviews since the election but has returned to Capitol Hill.