Republicans Threaten Obama’s Democrats in US Elections

Republicans and the conservative Tea Party movement posted some early victories in Tuesday’s U.S. congressional elections as the opposition appeared poised to win control of at least one house of Congress, posing a serious challenge to President Barack Obama’s legislative agenda.

Surveys ahead of voting showed the Republican Party may win control of the House of Representatives from Mr. Obama’s Democratic Party. The Republicans have already picked up one seat in the Senate from the Democrats, and are expected to pick up more. However, they are not expected to win enough to take control of that chamber.

Voting has closed in some areas. Republicans gained the Senate seat in the state of Indiana and conservative Tea Party favorite, Republican Rand Paul, coasted to victory in Kentucky. Another Tea Party favorite, Republican Marco Rubio, won the three-way Senate race in Florida.

Democrat Chris Coons is projected to have won the Senate race in Delaware over Tea Party favorite Republican Christine O’Donnell. Vice President Joe Biden held the Senate seat for more than three decades.

It will be several more hours or possibly days before results are known in many crucial races.

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

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

The Republican Party’s chairman, Michael Steele, said at the end of campaigning that Republicans are hoping for a “fresh start with the American people.” At an evening rally in Washington, the speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, said her fellow Democrats campaigned on moving the country in a new direction and not on what she described as the failed policies of the past.

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.