Democrats Clinch Full Control of U S Congress With Senate Win
By Kristin Jensen and William Roberts
Nov. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Democrats clinched majorities in both houses of the U.S. Congress for the first time since 1994 by winning a Senate seat in Virginia, capping a dramatic return to power on Capitol Hill.
The Democrats sealed their Senate majority when Democrat Jim Webb won a narrow victory over Republican incumbent George Allen. The Associated Press declared Webb the winner with a margin of about 7,200 votes, or about 0.3 percent, with all but one of the state's 2,411 precincts reporting.
While the close margin left Allen with the option of requesting a recount, an adviser to the senator said he would be less inclined to seek one if Webb's lead continued to hold up during an official canvass that could be completed as early as today. The adviser said Allen didn't intend to drag out the process.
The Democrats also captured the U.S. House of Representatives in the Nov. 7 election after a midterm campaign shaped by the war in Iraq and corruption scandals.
Capitalizing on President George W. Bush's declining popularity, Democrats picked up at least 28 House seats, ensuring control of the 435-seat chamber in January.
The results set the stage for two years of divided government as Bush attempts to get his policy proposals through a Democratic Congress. Bush will also face the possibility of investigations into his administration and a series of new initiatives from Democratic committee chairmen.
`A Thumping'
``The American people voted for change and they voted for Democrats to take our country in a new direction, and that is exactly what we intend to do,'' said California Representative Nancy Pelosi, who is set to become the first female speaker of the House in January. ``Democrats are ready to lead.''
In Montana, Democrat Jon Tester defeated Republican Senator Conrad Burns in a close race called at midday yesterday. Earlier, Democrats picked up Senate seats in Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.
``If you look at it race by race, it was close,'' Bush said at a White House press conference yesterday. ``The cumulative effect, however, was not close. It was a thumping.''
Bush also announced that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld is stepping down amid a firestorm of criticism about the war in Iraq. ``Secretary Rumsfeld and I agreed the time is right for new leadership at the Pentagon,'' Bush said.
Pelosi's Reign
The president made congratulatory phone calls to Pelosi and other Democratic leaders. ``The leaders of both political parties must try to work through our differences,'' Bush told reporters. ``I believe we will be able to.''
Pelosi is ``making history and she ought to feel incredible pride when she does,'' Ken Mehlman, chairman of the Republican National Committee, said on NBC's ``Today'' show yesterday. ``I think there's no reason we can't work together in a bipartisan way.''
The current House Republican leader, Speaker Dennis Hastert, said he won't seek to be his party's minority leader next year.
Republican Representatives J.D. Hayworth of Arizona, Richard Pombo of California, Nancy Johnson of Connecticut, Clay Shaw of Florida, Jim Ryun of Kansas, Anne Northup of Kentucky, Gil Gutknecht of Minnesota and Charles Taylor of North Carolina all lost, along with Jeb Bradley and Charles Bass in New Hampshire and John Sweeney and Sue Kelly in New York.
John Hostettler, Chris Chocola and Mike Sodrel lost in Indiana, and Curt Weldon, Don Sherwood, Michael Fitzpatrick and Melissa Hart were defeated in Pennsylvania. And in a race that wasn't considered competitive by most analysts, 15-term Republican Representative Jim Leach lost in Iowa.
Scandals
At least five open seats previously held by Republicans flipped parties with victories by Democrats Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona, Ed Perlmutter in Colorado, Bruce Braley in Iowa, Michael Arcuri in New York and Steve Kagen in Wisconsin.
Congressional scandals also had an effect. Democrat Tim Mahoney picked up the seat vacated by Republican Mark Foley, who resigned after lewd messages he sent to former teenage congressional pages became public. Democrat Zack Space claimed the seat once held by Representative Bob Ney, who pleaded guilty to accepting gifts in exchange for legislative favors from lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Democrat Nick Lampson won the seat left by former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, who had also been linked to Abramoff.
Louisiana Representative William Jefferson, a Democrat under investigation for bribery, is in a runoff after winning only 30 percent of the vote. Since he will face a Democrat, the race won't affect the makeup of the House. Republican Representative Henry Bonilla in Texas is in a runoff with a Democrat.
Some Bright Spots
Amid the losses, there were bright spots for some Republican incumbents. New York Representative Tom Reynolds, leader of his party's House campaign efforts, won re-election, as did Connecticut Representative Christopher Shays. Both of their races were considered among the most competitive in the nation.
In addition to Tester's victory, the other four Democratic Senate pickups were: Claire McCaskill, who defeated Republican Senator James Talent in Missouri; Bob Casey Jr., who beat Republican Rick Santorum in Pennsylvania; Sherrod Brown, who overcame Senator Mike DeWine in Ohio, and Sheldon Whitehouse, who knocked off Senator Lincoln Chafee in Rhode Island.
New Jersey Race
Meanwhile, Democratic Senator Bob Menendez staved off a challenge in New Jersey, and Democrat Ben Cardin retained the open Maryland Senate seat for his party, beating Republican Michael Steele. Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman, who ran as an independent after losing in the Democratic primary, also won. Lieberman has said he will vote with the Democrats.
Republican Senator Jon Kyl fought off a challenge in Arizona and Republican Bob Corker held onto the Tennessee seat being vacated by retiring Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist.
Exit Polls
At polling places, about six in 10 voters said they disapproved of the way Bush is handling his job, the Associated Press reported, citing surveys taken by the newswire and television networks. That is roughly the same percentage that opposed the war in Iraq.
``The overhanging cloud in this election is the war in Iraq,'' Bill Archer, a former Republican representative from Texas, said on Bloomberg Television. ``It really has brought down many, many Republicans who would otherwise win.''
Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean said that pushing an immigration crackdown backfired for Republicans. They made the issue ``so deeply polarizing that a very important segment of the American electorate decided that their future'' wasn't with the party, Dean said, referring to Hispanic voters.
Governors
Democrats also had a good night in statehouses across the country, winning a majority of U.S. governorships for the first time since 1994. Democratic candidates won Ohio and Massachusetts for the first time in 16 years, while New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer ended 12 years of Republican rule in that state.
There were some reports of problems in voting, including reports of long lines, voting machine malfunctions and court disputes over ballot procedures.
The FBI was investigating reports in Virginia that voters received telephone calls to direct them to the wrong polling place or discourage them from voting.
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