Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus says he feels pretty good about tonight’s elec
FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus020082
Riding a powerful wave of voter discontent, resurgent Republicans stepped to the brink of Senate control and tightened their grip on the House Tuesday night in elections certain to complicate President Barack Obama’s final two years in office.
The Republican Senate leader, Mitch McConnell, dispatched Democratic challenger Alison Lundergan Grimes in Kentucky after a $78 million campaign of unrelieved negativity. Voters are “hungry for new leadership. They want a reason to be hopeful,” said the man in line to become majority leader and set the Senate agenda if his party gains control.
Two-term incumbent Mark Pryor of Arkansas was the first Democrat to fall, defeated by freshman Rep. Tom Cotton. A few hours later, Sen. Mark Udall lost a re-election bid in Colorado to Rep. Cory Gardner.
Rep. Shelley Moore Capito was the GOP winner for a Senate seat in West Virginia, the first of her party to make that claim since 1956. Former Gov. Mike Rounds triumphed in South Dakota for still another seat currently in Democratic hands, and Rep. Steve Daines followed suit in Montana.
Republican Rep. Bill Cassidy led Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu into a Louisiana runoff on Dec. 6.
The Republicans needed a net gain of six seats in all to end a Democratic majority in place since 2006.
Republican Representative Greg Walden of Oregon says Republicans are willing to work with President Obama to get things done.
“You know I hope he says let’s get together, let’s put our differences aside. And let’s get America working again. I hope he says I got the message, I’ve learned, it’s a new day, let’s go solve these problems. Because that is, by the way, what Americans expect us to do and it’s what they pay us all to do. So we’re open to working with the President.”
You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/e1f9fdeb7cd7538e870d266c3d5e72fb
Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
