US midterm elections: Republicans win control of Senate; Democrats suffer massive setback

In a debacle for Barack Obama and the Democratic Party, Republicans today gained control of the United States Senate and increased its majority in the House of Representatives in a sweeping midterm election win that could complicate the President's final two years in office.

As strong Democratic leaders tumbled across the country, political analysts termed it as a Republican wave.

Elections were held for the entire 435 House of Representatives seat, 36 of the 100 senate seats and gubernatorial elections in 36 of the 50 American States.

The Republican Party has occupied 52 of the 100 senate seats as against the 43 of the Democratic Party. In the current Congress, Democrats have 53 seats, while the Republicans have 45 seats.

Republicans were headed to a substantial gain in the House of Representatives and were leading in 235 seats with a net gain of 10 seats, while the Democrats had 157 seats with a net loss of eight seats.

In the current House, the Democratic Party has 199 seats and Republicans have 233 seats.

A Republican majority in the US Senate, for the first time in eight years, would make governance and key administrative reforms a tough task for Obama during the remaining two years of his second term.

Some political analysts have already started calling him a lame duck, a phrase which was strongly resented by the White House.

Reflecting a general resentment against the current Obama Administration, people in large number voted for the Republican Party, who not only increased their majority in the House of Representatives but also gained control of the powerful Senate.

Republican candidates ousted Democratic incumbents in North Carolina, Arkansas and Colorado and sailed into the open seats of retiring Democrats in West Virginia, South Dakota and Montana.

Republican candidate Joni Ernst won the highly competitive Iowa Senate Seat. The party also won gubernatorial elections in several strong Democratic States.

Political analysts said that the very fact that Republicans won the gubernatorial elections in the traditional Democratic stronghold of Maryland and Illinois is a clear indication of a Republican wave sweeping the country.

House Majority Leader, Harry Reid, congratulated Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

"I'd like to congratulate Senator McConnell, who will be the new Senate Majority Leader. The message from voters is clear: they want us to work together," Reid said in a statement.

"The American people have put their trust in the Republican Party. I want to congratulate all our candidates tonight," Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said in a statement.

"Our party's principles and message resonated with voters across the country. This was a rejection of President Obama's failed policies and Harry Reid's dysfunctional Senate," he said.

"For too long, this administration has tried to tell the American people what is good for them and then blame somebody else when their policies didn't work out," McConnell said in a victory speech.

House Speaker John Boehner said he is "humbled by the responsibility the American people have placed with us."

"Americans can expect the new Congress to debate and vote soon on the many common-sense jobs and energy bills that passed the Republican-led House in recent years with bipartisan support but were never even brought to a vote by the outgoing Senate majority, as well as solutions offered by Senate Republicans that were denied consideration," he said.

"I've also put forth a five-point roadmap for harnessing the emerging energy boom in America, resetting our economy and restoring the American Dream for our children and grandchildren. It calls for fixing our tax code, solving our spending problem, reforming our legal system, reforming our regulatory system, and improving our education system," Boehner said.

"The change in power means that Obama will spend the last two years of his presidency dealing with an emboldened all-Republican Congress that intends to challenge him on major legislation and, in the words of McConnell, take the country in a 'new direction'," said political analysts.

At the national level, Americans sent a clear message that they want to change the direction of the country, said Texas Governor Rick Perry.

"Instead of higher taxes to fuel ever-expanding government programs, they chose fiscal sanity and voted to allow people to keep more of their own hard-earned money. Now it is time to lead and craft common-sense policies that make America energy independent, bring sanity to our tax code, and secure our border once and for all," he said.

"The landscape means Republicans will have new powers to challenge Obama's agenda in the final two years of his term, able to launch investigations and hold hearings from both chambers; hold up key appointments; and pass GOP-favoured legislation, if only to force the president to employ his veto pen," said political analysts.

Additional Inputs: Agencies