SOURCE, CNN
(CNN) -- Democrats will take control of the House of Representatives for the first time since the 1994 Republican revolution, while control of the Senate hangs in the balance, CNN projects.
Democratic challengers have picked up four seats in the Senate, CNN projects. Republicans would need to take just one of the two remaining competitive races to keep control of the chamber. Results are still too close to call in Montana and Virginia.
In Montana, Republican Sen. Conrad Burns was running behind his Democratic challenger, state Sen. John Tester.
If Tester wins, Democrats could secure Senate control by winning in Virginia, where embattled Republican Sen. George Allen trailed his Democratic challenger, Jim Webb, by fewer than 6,000 votes out of more than 2.3 million counted. (Full Senate news)
Under Virginia law, the apparent loser can request a recount after the votes have been certified if the margin is less than 1 percent of the total votes cast. If that happens, the result may not be clear for weeks.
Webb declared victory early Wednesday, saying, "The votes are in, and we won."
But Allen wasn't backing down. "The election continues," he said.
If the parties split the Virginia and Montana races, that would create a 50-50 breakdown in the Senate, assuming that the two independent members will caucus with the Democrats. In that event, Vice President Dick Cheney's constitutional authority to break tie votes would keep the Senate under Republican leadership.
Pelosi heralds 'new direction'
Democrats picked up at least 28 seats, more than the 15 they needed to capture a majority in the House. (Latest House news)
"Tonight is a great victory for the American people," said 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." (Watch Pelosi challenge the president -- 4:43 Video)
The projected result means that President Bush for the first time faces the prospect of working with a Democratic-controlled House.
Bush, whose anemic 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."
White House spokesman Tony Snow said the president would telephone Pelosi on Wednesday to offer congratulations.
"We're going to get a lot done," Snow said. "On energy, education, those are clearly things we can work on."
The parties of presidents serving their sixth year in office historically have suffered substantial losses in midterm elections, with the recent exception of President Clinton in 1998.
This year's turnover in Congress is the largest since 1994.
The Democratic pickups in the House included three seats vacated by Republicans amid controversy: Mark Foley's in Florida, Bob Ney's in Ohio and Tom DeLay's in Texas. Two incumbent Pennsylvania Republicans embroiled in controversy also lost their seats -- 10-term Rep. Curt Weldon and Rep. Don Sherwood.
'Steep mountain to climb'
Thirty-three Senate seats were at stake, but only nine races had been considered competitive.
Republican Sen. Jim Talent of Missouri early Wednesday conceded defeat to Democrat Claire McCaskill after a hard-fought race, telling supporters that "the headwind was just very, very strong this year."
McCaskill was backed by actor and stem-cell-research advocate Michael J. Fox.
Republican candidate Bob Corker will win the Tennessee Senate race, defeating Democratic Rep. Harold Ford Jr., CNN projects. He'll fill the open seat now held by retiring Republican Bill Frist, the Senate majority leader.
Democratic senator-turned-independent candidate Joe Lieberman will win the Connecticut Senate race, CNN projects. Both he and newly elected independent Bernie Sanders in Vermont have said they will caucus with the Democrats. (Watch Joe Lieberman become a "comeback kid" -- 1:58 Video)
Democratic challenger Sheldon Whitehouse will win the Rhode Island Senate race, defeating Republican incumbent Lincoln Chafee, CNN projects.
Two-term Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, the chamber's third-ranking Republican, has conceded to Bob Casey Jr. And Democrat Sherrod Brown will defeat GOP Sen. Mike DeWine in Ohio, CNN projects.
"This just was a little too steep of a mountain to climb," said Santorum, an outspoken opponent of abortion and same-sex marriage.
And DeWine, also a two-term senator, told supporters: "It just was not to be. This was not the year."
Democrats retained two of their Senate seats that were considered competitive, in New Jersey and Maryland, CNN projects.
Defying the traditional political maxim that "all politics is local," 62 percent of voters said in exit polls that national issues mattered more than local issues.
The exit polls 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.
Other developments:
# With more voters than ever using electronic voting machines, scattered glitches reported across the country prompted officials to extend voting hours in some areas. (Full story)
# Six governorships changed from Republican to Democratic hands Tuesday, giving Democrats control of a majority of the top state posts for the first time in 12 years. (Governors races)
# Also appearing on state ballots were dozens of referendums, some dealing with controversial issues such as same-sex marriage and abortion. (Ballot initiatives)
Democratic challengers have picked up four seats in the Senate, CNN projects. Republicans would need to take just one of the two remaining competitive races to keep control of the chamber. Results are still too close to call in Montana and Virginia.
In Montana, Republican Sen. Conrad Burns was running behind his Democratic challenger, state Sen. John Tester.
If Tester wins, Democrats could secure Senate control by winning in Virginia, where embattled Republican Sen. George Allen trailed his Democratic challenger, Jim Webb, by fewer than 6,000 votes out of more than 2.3 million counted. (Full Senate news)
Under Virginia law, the apparent loser can request a recount after the votes have been certified if the margin is less than 1 percent of the total votes cast. If that happens, the result may not be clear for weeks.
Webb declared victory early Wednesday, saying, "The votes are in, and we won."
But Allen wasn't backing down. "The election continues," he said.
If the parties split the Virginia and Montana races, that would create a 50-50 breakdown in the Senate, assuming that the two independent members will caucus with the Democrats. In that event, Vice President Dick Cheney's constitutional authority to break tie votes would keep the Senate under Republican leadership.
Pelosi heralds 'new direction'
Democrats picked up at least 28 seats, more than the 15 they needed to capture a majority in the House. (Latest House news)
"Tonight is a great victory for the American people," said 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." (Watch Pelosi challenge the president -- 4:43 Video)
The projected result means that President Bush for the first time faces the prospect of working with a Democratic-controlled House.
Bush, whose anemic 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."
White House spokesman Tony Snow said the president would telephone Pelosi on Wednesday to offer congratulations.
"We're going to get a lot done," Snow said. "On energy, education, those are clearly things we can work on."
The parties of presidents serving their sixth year in office historically have suffered substantial losses in midterm elections, with the recent exception of President Clinton in 1998.
This year's turnover in Congress is the largest since 1994.
The Democratic pickups in the House included three seats vacated by Republicans amid controversy: Mark Foley's in Florida, Bob Ney's in Ohio and Tom DeLay's in Texas. Two incumbent Pennsylvania Republicans embroiled in controversy also lost their seats -- 10-term Rep. Curt Weldon and Rep. Don Sherwood.
'Steep mountain to climb'
Thirty-three Senate seats were at stake, but only nine races had been considered competitive.
Republican Sen. Jim Talent of Missouri early Wednesday conceded defeat to Democrat Claire McCaskill after a hard-fought race, telling supporters that "the headwind was just very, very strong this year."
McCaskill was backed by actor and stem-cell-research advocate Michael J. Fox.
Republican candidate Bob Corker will win the Tennessee Senate race, defeating Democratic Rep. Harold Ford Jr., CNN projects. He'll fill the open seat now held by retiring Republican Bill Frist, the Senate majority leader.
Democratic senator-turned-independent candidate Joe Lieberman will win the Connecticut Senate race, CNN projects. Both he and newly elected independent Bernie Sanders in Vermont have said they will caucus with the Democrats. (Watch Joe Lieberman become a "comeback kid" -- 1:58 Video)
Democratic challenger Sheldon Whitehouse will win the Rhode Island Senate race, defeating Republican incumbent Lincoln Chafee, CNN projects.
Two-term Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, the chamber's third-ranking Republican, has conceded to Bob Casey Jr. And Democrat Sherrod Brown will defeat GOP Sen. Mike DeWine in Ohio, CNN projects.
"This just was a little too steep of a mountain to climb," said Santorum, an outspoken opponent of abortion and same-sex marriage.
And DeWine, also a two-term senator, told supporters: "It just was not to be. This was not the year."
Democrats retained two of their Senate seats that were considered competitive, in New Jersey and Maryland, CNN projects.
Defying the traditional political maxim that "all politics is local," 62 percent of voters said in exit polls that national issues mattered more than local issues.
The exit polls 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.
Other developments:
# With more voters than ever using electronic voting machines, scattered glitches reported across the country prompted officials to extend voting hours in some areas. (Full story)
# Six governorships changed from Republican to Democratic hands Tuesday, giving Democrats control of a majority of the top state posts for the first time in 12 years. (Governors races)
# Also appearing on state ballots were dozens of referendums, some dealing with controversial issues such as same-sex marriage and abortion. (Ballot initiatives)
