Republicans
take control of
US Senate
US Senate
Republicans have gained control of the United States Senate for the first time since 2006, wresting victories from Democrats as midterm voters expressed frustration with President Barack Obama and the White House.
RT,
5
November, 2014
The
GOP victory comes after conservative candidates emerged victorious in
Arkansas, Colorado, Montana, South Dakota, West Virginia, North
Carolina and Iowa, where Republicans were able to unseat incumbent
Democratic lawmakers. Republicans also fended off an Independent
challenger in Kansas, while Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell –
and likely the new Majority Leader – safely escaped a Democratic
challenger to hold onto his seat in Kentucky.
Currently,
the makeup up of the Senate stands as such: Republicans with 52 seats
and Democrats with 45.
Meanwhile,
conservatives maintained their advantage in the House of
Representatives, which remained strongly within the hands of
Republicans. Early results showed the GOP gaining eight seats.
The
results are not altogether surprising. Most polling analysts had the
chances of a GOP takeover at around 75 percent before Tuesday’s
voting commenced. Republicans faced tighter-than-expected races in
Kentucky, Kansas, and Georgia, but ultimately their candidates were
able to pull head.
For
President Obama and the Democrats, the results are a significant
setback, especially for the White House's governing agenda over the
next two years. While some pundits have expressed hope that Congress
can work with Obama to pass lingering free trade deals, immigration
reform, and tax reform, most others have projected continued
gridlock.
On
the eve of Election Day, pollsters at Gallup ranked Obama's approval
rating at just 41 percent. Concerns over how his office has handled
the Ebola crisis, immigration and the so-called Islamic State, among
other issues, have proven to be costly to the Democratic Party and
its congressional candidates.
Despite
being one of the main architects of the GOP's strategy to oppose
Obama on most issues, McConnell said there was another way forward in
Washington, noting, “just because we have a two-party system
doesn’t mean we have to be in perpetual conflict."
“We
do have an obligation to work together on issues where we can agree,”
he added. “I don’t expect the president to wake up tomorrow
morning and view the world any differently. He knows I won’t
either.”
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