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US Elections: Democrats seize control of House

Dear ATCA Colleagues; dear IntentBloggers

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Re: US Elections: Democrats seize control of House of Representatives; Senate control hangs in the balance

In the US mid-term elections, Democrats have taken control of the House of Representatives for the first time since the 1994 Republican revolution, while control of the Senate continues to hang in the balance. The White House conceded the Democrats had picked up the 15 net seats needed to gain power from the Republicans for the first time in 12 years. Polls have now closed across the US, with high turnout reported. However, officials extended polling hours in six states because of problems with electronic voting machines. The new voting technology was brought in to replace older systems, such as the punch-card machines, which were at the centre of the Florida dispute during the 2000 Presidential election.

Democrats are projected to win between 230 and 234 House seats, with Republicans holding on to between 201 and 205 seats. The final totals could change depending on recounts, absentee ballots and a runoff for a Texas district seat. Those totals would have Democrats picking up at least 27 seats, more than the 15 they needed to capture a majority in the House. The Democrats are also projected to have won four of six target Senate seats -- but overall control of the upper house remains too close to call.

"Tonight is a great victory for the American people," said the new House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, who is poised to become the first female speaker of the House. "The American people voted for a new direction. She vowed "civility and bipartisanship" but confronted the President over his Iraq policy: "Mr President, we need a new direction in Iraq." The projected result means that President Bush for the first time faces the prospect of working with a Democratic-controlled House. Ms Pelosi said the Democrats would "restore integrity and honesty" to Washington DC and lead the "most ethical Congress in history".

Bush, whose extremely low approval ratings proved a drag on Republican prospects, was described as "disappointed" with the House results. However, spokesman Tony Fratto said the president was "still optimistic about the Senate." Another White House spokesman, Tony Snow, said the President would telephone Ms Pelosi on Wednesday to offer congratulations. "We believe Democrats will have control of the House, and look forward to working with Democratic leaders on the issues that remain foremost on the agenda, including winning the war in Iraq and the broader war on terror and keeping the economy on a growth path," he said.

Likely Causes of The Democrats win

A national exit poll for a leading news agency indicated that about two-thirds of people felt Iraq was very important to their vote. Yet even more voters -- about 80% -- said the economy, government corruption and scandal were very important to their votes. In another exit poll, defying the traditional political maxim that "all politics is local," 62 percent of voters said that national issues mattered more than local issues. The exit poll also showed that 42 percent of voters called corruption an extremely important issue in their choices at the polls, followed by terrorism at 40 percent, the economy at 39 percent and the war in Iraq at 37 percent.

What do the results mean?

Analysts say the Democrat gains will be interpreted to reflect voter discontent with the war in Iraq and Republican President George W Bush. They say control of the House will allow Democrats to choose to launch inquiries into the handling of Iraq, and could lead to significant changes on domestic issues like taxation and health care.

[ENDS]

We look forward to your further thoughts, observations and views. Thank you.

Best wishes

For and on behalf of DK Matai, Chairman, Asymmetric Threats Contingency Alliance (ATCA)