Republicans capture control of House of Representatives, but not the Senate

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK - President Barack Obama was given a stern message by the American people on Tuesday when the Republicans,riding a wave of voter discontent, captured control of the House of Representatives, but fell short of capturing control of the U.S. Senate.

A Republican resurgence, propelled by deep economic worries and a forceful opposition to the Democratic agenda of health care and government spending, delivered defeats to House Democrats from the Northeast to the South and across the Midwest.

According to the New York Times, the tide swept aside dozens of lawmakers, regardless of their seniority or their voting records, upending the balance of power for the second half of Obama’s term.

Experts said the telling message to Obama was that he needed to do much more to get the American economy back on track during the remaining two years of his first term in the White House.

President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama are heading for a four-day visit to India three days after the polls.

The Democrats, however, have hung onto control of the Senate by winning hard-fought contests in California, Delaware, Connecticut and West Virginia.

The Republicans picked up at least six Democratic seats, including the one formerly held by Mr. Obama, and the party will welcome Marco Rubio of Florida and Rand Paul of Kentucky to their ranks, two candidates who were initially shunned by the establishment but beloved by the Tea Party movement.

“The American people’s voice was heard at the ballot box,” said Representative John A. Boehner of Ohio, who is positioned to become the next speaker of the House.

He added: “We have real work to do, and this is not the time for celebration.”

The Republicans won at least 56 seats, not including those from some Western states where ballots were still being counted, surpassing the 52 seats the party won in the sweep of 1994.

The most expensive mid-term election campaign in the nation’s history, played out across a wide battleground that stretched from Alaska to Maine.

The Republican tide swept into statehouse races, too, with Democrats poised to lose the majority of governorships, particularly those in key presidential swing states, like Ohio, where Gov. Ted Strickland was defeated.

“Voters sent a message that change has not happened fast enough,” said Tim Kaine, chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

Republicans did not achieve a perfect evening, losing races in several states they had once hoped to win, including the Senate contests in Delaware and Connecticut, because some candidates supported by the Tea Party movement knocked out establishment candidates to win their nominations. But they did score notable victories in some tight races, like Pat Toomey’s Senate run in Pennsylvania.

The outcome on Tuesday was nothing short of a remarkable comeback for Republicans two years after they suffered a crushing defeat in the White House and four years after Democrats swept control of the House and Senate.

It places the party back in the driver’s seat in terms of policy, posing new challenges to Obama as he faces a tough two years in his term, but also for Republicans - led by Mr. Boehner - as he suddenly finds himself in a position of responsibility, rather than being simply the outsider. (ANI)