GOP soars in House

GOP soars in House, state races; Democrats expected to keep Senate

Washington (CNN) — Voters’ anger over a stubborn jobless rate and anxiety over the troubled economy helped propel Republicans to a sweeping takeover of the U.S. House of Representatives and a stronger presence in state offices, projections indicate.

With results still coming in, the full extent of the Republican takeover of the 435-member House was still to be determined. But CNN projected that Republicans would win at least 60 more House seats than they currently hold to wipe out the Democratic majority of the past four years.

Democrats cling onto their majority in the Senate, though in smaller numbers, according to projections based on CNN analysis of exit poll data from Tuesday’s midterm elections. Democrats were guaranteed to hold at least 50 of the 100 Senate seats, with a handful of close races still outstanding, according to the projections.

Exit poll data analyzed by CNN showed that the economy was the dominant issue on voters’ minds and indicated that key constituencies shifted from supporting Democrats in 2008 to voting for Republicans this time.

While the ushering of more Republicans into office might signal a rejection of Democrats in power, it might not be a warm embrace of the GOP. Exit polling showed voter dissatisfaction with both parties, as each received a 53 percent unfavorable rating.

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An energized conservative electorate, fueled by the anti-establishment Tea Party movement that emerged in 2009, helped Republicans to what could be the biggest House gain by any major party since 1948.

“With their voices, the American people are demanding a new way forward in Washington,” said House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio, who is expected to become House speaker when the new GOP majority takes over in January. But he added, “This is not a time for celebration … not when one in 10 of our fellow citizens are out of work … not when we have buried our children under a mountain of debt.”

Current House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in a statement, said, “Over the last four years, the Democratic majority in the House took courageous action on behalf of America’s middle class to create jobs and save the country from the worst economic catastrophe since the Great Depression.”

“The outcome of the election does not diminish the work we have done for the American people,” Pelosi said. “We must all strive to find common ground to support the middle class, create jobs, reduce the deficit and move our nation forward.”

President Barack Obama called Boehner to congratulate him as the GOP takeover of the House appeared certain. They had a brief but pleasant conversation, according to Boehner’s aides. The two discussed working together to focus on the top priorities of the American people, which Boehner has identified as creating jobs and cutting spending.

“It’s President Obama’s responsibility to take the wake-up call that came yesterday,” said Andy Card, who was White House chief of staff under former President George W. Bush. “It was a huge wake-up call, and it’s President Obama’s responsibility to say, ‘I will work with you Republicans in Congress.’ ”

However, Republicans might be in no mood to reciprocate. Democratic strategist and CNN analyst Robert Zimmerman noted that many GOP candidates have spoken of dismantling some measures Obama has put in place, such as on health care. “That doesn’t speak about going forward,” he noted. “It doesn’t speak about jobs and building our economy.”

The vote was actually “a wake-up call for both Democrats and Republicans,” said Republican strategist and CNN contributor Leslie Sanchez. Voters gave the House “the power of the purse,” she said, but said it was a good thing that the Democrats retained control of the Senate.

That way, she said, the Obama administration will not say it is fighting all the Republicans, and it could line up a “more balanced approach.” The question, she said, is whether Obama will move toward the center and “follow the Bill Clinton model.”

The rise of the Tea Party movement added a new element to the election cycle, roiling Republican races by boosting little-known and inexperienced candidates to victory over mainstream figures in GOP primaries across the country. The movement that emerged in 2009 in opposition to expanded government and the growing federal deficit and could pose a threat in the 2012 election.

“I don’t think there’s any question that if it were not for the Tea Party, the Republican margin in the House of Representatives would not be as high as it’s going to be,” CNN senior political analyst David Gergen said Tuesday night. “They gave a lot of enthusiasm and fuel to the Republican Party.”

Tea Party-backed Republicans Rand Paul in Kentucky and Marco Rubio in Florida won their Senate races, according to the projections.

Adding to the Democrats’ losses, Obama’s former Senate seat in Illinois went to Republican Mark Kirk, who defeated Democrat Alexi Giannoulias.

But projections show that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, will retain his seat by defeating Republican Sharron Angle, a Tea Party favorite who beat 11 other opponents in a June primary to clinch the GOP nomination. “I’ve been in some pretty tough fights in my day. … But I have to admit, this has been one of the toughest,” Reid told cheering supporters.

Democrat Chris Coons was the projected winner over Republican Christine O’Donnell, another Tea Party-supported candidate, in Delaware’s race for the Senate seat formerly held by Vice President Joe Biden.

The final makeup of the Senate will include no African-Americans. The only current African-American senator, Roland Burris of Illinois, is retiring, and none of the three African-American candidates won Tuesday.

Both Paul, the son of Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, and O’Donnell rode Tea Party support to defeat mainstream Republican candidates in the primaries.

Republican candidates were also strong in governors’ races, with at least 10 gubernatorial seats switching from Democrats to Republicans, CNN projected.

Republicans needed a net gain of only three governorships Tuesday for a majority nationally. Often overshadowed during midterm campaigns, governorships can affect national politics by their influence in the redistricting of state electorates.

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, who gained national attention for her support of her state’s controversial new immigration law, defeated Democrat Terry Goddard to retain office. In South Carolina, Nikki Haley became the state’s first female governor by defeating Democratic opponent Vincent Sheheen in a tightly contested race.

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Conservative candidates also made strong gains in state legislatures. The Republican State Leadership Committee estimated that at least 16 state legislative chambers had moved from Democratic to Republican control in Tuesday’s voting.

Those changes have the potential to reverberate far beyond the state level: By seizing control of legislative chambers in several key states, the GOP significantly strengthened its hand heading into what promises to be contentious congressional redistricting process, where legislatures decide how congressional districts are drawn. That can mean the difference between an incumbent having an easy path to re-election — or seeing his or her district drawn out of existence altogether.

The GOP also significantly increased its pool of viable future U.S. House and Senate candidates.

The long and bitter campaign season drew more than $3.5 billion in spending, making it the most expensive nonpresidential vote ever, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, a watchdog group.

About 75 percent of Americans say things are going badly in the country, according to a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll released Monday.

The economy was rated the most important issue by 62 percent of voters, far eclipsing health care reform (19 percent), immigration (8 percent) and the war in Afghanistan (7 percent), according to the exit polling.

Most voters, 88 percent, rated economic conditions as not good or poor, and 86 percent said they were very worried or somewhat worried about the economy, the exit polling showed.

Unemployment, at a rate of 9.6 percent amid a slow recovery from economic recession, has been a dominant issue, with Republicans accusing Obama and the Democrats of pushing through expensive policies that have expanded government without solving the problem.

Obama has led Democrats in defending his record, saying that steps such as the economic stimulus bill and auto industry bailout were necessary to prevent a depression, while health care reform and Wall Street reform will lay the foundation for sustainable future growth.

In the Senate, legislative gridlock is likely as Republicans strengthen their current minority of 41 seats. The Democrats’ simple majority in the Senate doesn’t give them power to block filibusters.

Democrats are also wary of a recent comment by Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who told the National Journal, “The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.”

The first test of a new relationship will come in mid-November, when Congress convenes a post-election lame-duck session to try to clear unfinished legislation before the newly elected Congress gathers in January. Among other issues, lawmakers must decide whether and how to extend Bush-era tax cuts.

Observers warned that the expected Republican gains offer little chance of compromise or bipartisan approaches on major issues.