Republicans Threaten Obama’s Democrats in US Elections

Americans are voting Tuesday in elections that could shift the balance of power in the U.S. Congress, posing a serious challenge to President Barack Obama’s legislative agenda.

With the first results coming in, Republicans have gained one U.S. Senate seat in the state of Indiana and conservative Tea Party favorite, Republican Rand Paul, coasted to victory in Kentucky

Some voting stations have already closed in the eastern United States, but it will be several more hours or possibly days before results are known in many crucial races.

Opinion surveys before the election showed the Republican Party is poised to take control of the House of Representatives from Mr. Obama’s Democratic Party. The Republicans are likely to gain seats in the Senate as well, but are not expected to win the majority.

Exit polls show that the economy was the main issue of concern for voters, with many expressing negative views, not only about Mr. Obama, but both political parties as well.

All 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 37 of the 100 Senate seats are at stake.

With unemployment near 10 percent, serious concerns about the U.S. economy have helped to energize Republicans.

The party’s chairman, Michael Steele, said at the end of campaigning that Republicans are hoping for a “fresh start with the American people.”

Republicans also are gaining ground because of the Tea Party, a loosely organized but vocal movement calling for lower taxes and less government spending

Mr. Obama has been trying to rally young voters who came out in huge numbers two years ago to elect him as president. In an interview with a California radio station, Mr. Obama said even though his name is not on the ballot, his agenda is going to depend on whether or not people turn out to vote.

A key race to watch is in the western state of Nevada, where Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, is facing a tough challenge from Tea Party-supported Republican candidate Sharron Angle. Polls show the race too close to predict.

In Alaska, a Republican senator is hoping to hold onto her seat, after losing her party’s nomination to Tea Party-backed candidate Joe Miller. Lisa Murkowski, who is running as an independent, is instructing her supporters to write-in her name on the ballot, in the three-way race with Miller and Democrat Scott McAdams.

There are several important contests in the state of California, including a race to replace outgoing Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Republican candidate, Meg Whitman, is the former head of the online auction company eBay. She is running against a former governor, Democrat Jerry Brown.

California is one of 37 states where voters are electing governors. Residents of the west coast state also are voting on a measure to legalize marijuana for recreational use. California already allows the narcotic to be used for medical purposes.

Some information in this story was provided by AP.