House and Senate Democrats strengthened their hold on Congress Tuesday, soundly defeating GOP incumbents including Sens. Elizabeth Dole and John Sununu and Reps. Phil English and Robin Hayes in another bad year for the Republican brand.
House Democrats were expected to add about 25 seats to their 17-seat majority, while the Senate Democrats were predicted to increase their one-seat majority by up to seven seats, leaving them just one or two shy of a filibuster-proof, 60-seat majority.
The poor showing for the House and Senate GOP marks just the third time in history that the same political party has been defeated in two consecutive elections. Issues ranging from a plummeting stock market in recent months to energy prices to an unpopular war in Iraq contributed to a coast-to-coast rejection of the GOP.
“The Republicans have lost their way and they have to regain it,” said veteran Republican strategist Jim Ellis, who helped former Republican House Majority Leader Tom DeLay increase the House GOP numbers.
The election pushed out long-serving Republicans like Chris Shays, of Connecticut.
But as of early Wednesday morning, election returns indicated Democrats had failed to pry several toss up seats from Republican hands.
In Minnesota, incumbent Republican Sen. Norm Coleman trailed Democrat Al Franken by only a few hundred votes this morning as officials continued to count the few remaining ballots. A recount was all but guaranteed in the bitterly contested election.
And in Alaska, incumbent Republican Rep. Don Young, the subject of a federal investigation, was leading Democratic opponent Ethan Berkowitz 52 percent to 44 percent with almost a quarter of the vote still to be counted today.
But the biggest surprise for Democrats looking to put a lock on the Senate was the resiliency of incumbent Republican Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska, recently convicted on seven felony counts for failing to report gifts on federal disclosure forms. As elections officials in Juneau, five hours behind Eastern Time, were still sorting through ballots, Stevens led 48.5 percent to 46.2 percent, with 72 percent of ballots counted.
But in Florida, Republican Reps. Tom Feeney and Ric Keller lost their reelection bids.
For House Democrats, their numbers are expected to increase to at least 260 while the House Republican ranks will decrease to about 175, effectively marginalizing them.
“Tonight, the American people have called for a new direction,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said, “They have called for a change in America.”
Pelosi spokesman Brendan Daly said the Democrats will use the increased majority to immediately usher through key Democratic legislation such as an economic stimulus package, federal funding for stem cell research and an increase in federally funded health insurance for poor children.
The bills would be taken up as early as January, Daly said.
In the Senate, Republicans breathed a sigh of relief when Democrats failed to win enough races to reach a 60-seat majority that would have prevented Republicans from blocking legislation through the use of the filibuster.
Democratic Senate challengers were unable to beat Saxby Chambliss, of Georgia, Roger Wicker, of Mississippi or Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, of Kentucky, who won re-election despite a recent surge in the polls by challenger Bruce Lunsford.
Dole was beaten by Democratic state Sen. Kay Hagan, and her loss was not a surprise to many political strategists, who blasted what they called a poor campaign. Hagan scored with the electorate by pointing out that Dole had traveled to North Carolina only 20 times during her entire six-year term.
And a late Dole ad accusing Hagan of an affiliation with atheists backfired.
“I think a lot of the reason we are seeing this situation with Republicans is that when they were in leadership, they became Democrats by expanding government, and the Republican base turned on them,” said Ellis. “Now they’ve got to get back to basics. This will be a rebuilding year.”
