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Democrats Keep Senate, GOP Holds Onto House: Here’s How the Congressional Races Shaped Up

Nov. 6, 2012 11:50am Eddie Scarry

President Obama secured his reelection for a second term last night. He campaigned on “real change,” but in all likelihood, Washington is in for the status quo and gridlock seen over the past two years, thanks to a divided Congress with no sign of ceasing in its polarization.

Before the election, Republicans held the House while Democrats maintained power in the Senate and the presidency. That balance of power remains today after the election, though Republicans may have lost a few seats in both the Senate and the House (a few races have yet to be determined).

There’s little proof that a win of the White House by GOP Nominee Mitt Romney would have resulted in a different outcome. Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said the idea that Senate Democrats would work with Romney in the event that he won the election was “laughable.”

But with a looming debt crisis and and the fiscal cliff fast approaching — both of which will require bipartisanship to address — Obama and Romney said they were the ones who could bridge the divide once the election were over. Obama said over the summer he expected the GOP’s “fever” to “break” after the election.

“I’d be skeptical of President Obama or Mitt Romney for either of them to ‘break the fever’ simply by virtue of the election being over,” George Washington University Professor and Brookings Institute Fellow Dr. Sarah Binder said. “Historically, presidents have less political capital in the second term. If anything we’re expecting status quo of divided government,” she said.

The 1980s and 1990s saw major bipartisan reform of welfare, Social Security and the tax code. Binder said chances of that happening today are slim, as the base support of both parties have drifted further to the left and right. “You’re not going to get a movement to the center that you’ve seen in earlier periods of government,” she said.

Indeed, Speaker John Boehner — who will remain the leader of the House of Representatives for at least the next two years — said in an interview with Politico before the election that maintaining a Republican majority in the House would serve as much a mandate as the reelection of Obama. “We’ll have as much of a mandate as he will — if that happens — to not raise taxes,” he said.

Mike Franc, vice president of government studies at the Heritage Foundation, affirmed Boehner’s position. He said the GOP’s sweep of the House in 2010 would typically result in many of those seats that went to freshmen members turning back over to Democrats; if they didn’t, it would mean voters across the country want to maintain that structure. “The lesson learned will be that the American people want more of that and to stay doing what [Republicans] have been doing,” Franc said.

———-

Below is a running update on the key House and Senate races we’ve watched this election. We’ll label each candidate as a winner or loser as the results roll in.

What we know: Democrats needed to pick up 25 seats to take control of the House. That’s not going to happen. Now that there is no option of a 50-50 split in the Senate that could have been broken by a Vice President Paul Ryan, Republicans need to pick up four seats to take control. That’s also not going to happen. Republicans currently have 45 seats to the Democrats’ 51. Only two seats are left up for grabs.

U.S Senate races…

Florida: (R) Sen. Connie Mack LOSES v. (D) Bill Nelson WINS

Ohio: (R) Josh Mandel LOSES v. (D) Sherrod Brown LOSES

Texas: Ted Cruz (R) WINS v. (D) Paul Sadler LOSES

Utah: Sen. Orrin Hatch (R) WINS v. (D) Scott Howell LOSES

California: Sen. Diane Feinstein (D) WINS v. (R) Elizabeth Emkin LOSES

Nevada: Sen. Dean Heller (R) WINS v .Rep. Shelley Berkley (D) LOSES

Arizona: Rep. Jeff Flake (R) WINS v. U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona (D) LOSES

Nebraska: Deb Fischer (R) WINS v. Bob Kerrey (D) LOSES

Virginia: George Allen (R) LOSES v. Tim Kaine (D) WINS

Missouri: Rep. Todd Akin (R) LOSES v. Sen. Claire McCaskill (D) WINS

Wisconsin: Tommy Thompson (R) LOSES v. Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D) WINS

Indiana: Richard Mourdock (R) LOSES v. Joe Donnelly (D) WINS

Massachusetts: Sen. Scott Brown (R) LOSES v. Elizabeth Warren (D) WINS

Connecticut: Linda McMahon (R) LOSES v. Rep. Chris Murphy (D) WINS

Montana: Rep. Denny Rehberg (R) LOSES v. Sen. Jon Tester (D) WINS

North Dakota: Rep. Rick Berg (R) v. LOSES v. Heidi Heitkamp (D) WINS

New Mexico: Martin Heinrich (D) WINS v. Heather Wilson (R) LOSES

U.S. House races…

Wisconsin…ironically, he lost his vice presidential bid but retained his Congressional seat. Rep. Paul Ryan (R) WINS v. (D) Rob Zerban

Also, House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio WINS and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor WINS v. Democratic contender Wayne Powell in Virginia.

California: Rep. Henry Waxman (D) WINS (retaining his House seat)

Utah: Rep. jason Chaffetz WINS v. (D) Soren Simonsen LOSES

Illinois: Rep. Joe Walsh (R) LOSES v. (D) Tammy Duckworth WINS

Illinois: Jesse Jackson Jr. (D) WINS v. (R) Brian Woodworth LOSES

Minnesota: Rep. Michele Bachmann (R) WINS v. Jim Graves (D) LOSES

Florida: Rep. Allen West (R) LOSES v. Patrick Murphy (D) WINS

In CONTROL, Glenn Beck presents a passionate, fact-based case for guns that reveals why gun control isn’t really about controlling guns at all; it’s about controlling us. Find out more HERE.

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Comments (41)

getourcountryback
Posted on November 7, 2012 at 2:12pm
Obama has basically made the constitution irrelevant so it doesn’t matter too much that the house is not controlled by the dems. It didn’t matter to get Obamacare through, it won’t matter to get a weapons ban through or to appoint more czars or anything else at this point. Who is going to stop him? When it all comes to a head the people who think he is the savior will find out they have been praying to the devil.

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watashbuddyfriend
Posted on November 7, 2012 at 2:01pm
Well, residents of FL, NC, PA, Nor’easters, Midwesterners, Pacific States, ‘you know,’ God could be using YOU to help Obama to bring about something BIG, and GOOD to These United States?

The USA has to fall-away for that BIG Event to happen!

Remember how, He, God used Hitler to cause His Chosen People to flock to their homeland?

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Mr. H.
Posted on November 7, 2012 at 1:26pm
I am truly sorry to see Col. West lost his reelection bid. I’m sure he will be an ever present voice often seen and heard in the future.

Indiana’s Richard Murdock, like so many republicans, made an excellent highly moral statement of his sincerely held beliefs, when he should have made a statement about the reality of what a law must say to be passed by congress and signed by a president. Addressing the realities of life is not a rejection of personal values. All of these damning liberal questions have been asked before, and there are honest answers that can be given without giving the liberal media something they can twist and distort into decimatiinng emotion a

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- Mr. H.
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 1:36pm
  (don’t you just love being cutoff in mid reply?)
  
  …emotional attack.
  
  Every campaign has a list of stock answers to these trap questions. If you are going to run for elected office, know the traps and their answers, and stick to them. You have no influence if you loose the election.
  
  Report this comment
Arshloch
Posted on November 7, 2012 at 12:52pm
Time to change the term USA to M(ooslum)C(communist)T(thugs) of A(america) or MCT of A for short.

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Arshloch
Posted on November 7, 2012 at 12:47pm
Well, well, well, the cheap Las Vegas shyster rides again.

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JBMilton
Posted on November 7, 2012 at 10:12am
We just witnessed the end of a free democracy. By the time that numbnuts and his idiot court jester sidekick get done, our nation will be “fundamentally changed”. We will not be able to heat our homes, light our homes, or purchase gas for our cars. We will have to use a backpack to carry enough money to purchase a loaf of bread. My biggest fear is what is going to happen with the supreme court. May god look down on us and protect us from madness.

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EdgeOfSanity
Posted on November 7, 2012 at 9:48am
Harry Reid said that if Romney won it would be “laughable” that Democrats would work with him . . . well, I hope that for love of country the Republicans decide that it would be “laughable” to work with His Majesty.

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Thinman
Posted on November 7, 2012 at 8:59am
The Republican Party is dead, time for the Tea Party to take charge.

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TROLLMONGER
Posted on November 6, 2012 at 11:03pm
the primitive neaderthal Akin lost…LOL!

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VanceUppercut
Posted on November 6, 2012 at 10:51pm
Ha! Ha!

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DaveOregon
Posted on November 6, 2012 at 10:36pm
I swear to All Mighty God – Mass. should be swamped and removed as a land mass in the Unites States!!!! Borwn lost to Warren? Another nonthing/do nothing Kennedy won?Mass. must have the highest ranking of morons per quare mile then ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD!

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TheReasonableLib
Posted on November 6, 2012 at 10:27pm
It just keeps getting better. It’s like Christmas in November.

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- PrzLesu
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 11:23am
  Obama is the gift that will cause your children to curse him and and you, a willing participant in their demise.
  
  Report this comment
- PrzLesu
  Posted on November 7, 2012 at 11:25am
  BTW- reasonable lib is an oxymoron
  
  Report this comment
bcope01
Posted on November 6, 2012 at 10:26pm
When are the stupid Republican men going to keep their yaps shut about women’s issues?

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- JethroUSMC
  Posted on November 6, 2012 at 10:33pm
  Unfortunately, not any time soon.
  
  Report this comment
JL320
Posted on November 6, 2012 at 10:20pm
The only good thing about this result is Beck has been smacked in the face for promoting his mormon cult. I like how Beck talks about the Union, and Abraham Lincoln. Sorry but the Union and Abraham Lincoln raped and tortured true Americans for their land, and money. The C.S.A. was an extension of the founding fathers of this Nation. They paid for over 80% of the taxes of this country, and the north came down, and raped, and murder more innocent lives than anyone could ever count. They eventually won. Now Beck backs them and claims God’s hand is behind them, LMAO. This country has been down hill since we have left God and adopted a P(olitically) C(orrect) mind set. Lincoln wanted to ship every black back to Africa, but did not have the funding to do so. The C.S.A. voted out slavery before the civil war ever started! This country has been given a lot of chances, but I think this is it. At least my state Alabama rejected Obamacare in every form. For the rest of you, good luck!

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VickiSZY
Posted on November 6, 2012 at 8:23pm
Arkansas Republican Steve Womack was not running unopposed this time around, thanks so much for including him in this article, since we have to hold the seats we have.

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coyote1hell
Posted on November 6, 2012 at 7:44pm
Debbie Stab-in-the-back, is ignorant little fool, that dosen’t want to bothered with facts….

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possom
Posted on November 6, 2012 at 7:31pm
We need to start our own party!

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circleDwagons
Posted on November 6, 2012 at 7:24pm
Kaine better not win

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- Fubared
  Posted on November 6, 2012 at 8:16pm
  Hope you are correct, but he has the elitist of Nova and inner city peeps of Ric.
  
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- vamom2
  Posted on November 6, 2012 at 8:21pm
  Second that from Southwest Virginia!!!
  
  Report this comment
- MadeMyDay
  Posted on November 6, 2012 at 10:33pm
  He truly is a little pig.
  Alex,VA
  
  Report this comment
- MadeMyDay
  Posted on November 6, 2012 at 10:37pm
  Our new American Flag: LOOTERS WILL BE SHOT
  
  Report this comment
OrioleNut
Posted on November 6, 2012 at 7:20pm
I bet that Mourdock & Akin both win.

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- sundaisy91
  Posted on November 6, 2012 at 7:57pm
  I hope you are right about Mourdock. We really need him in Indiana after Lugar.
  
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- circleDwagons
  Posted on November 6, 2012 at 9:58pm
  Pray that you are right about Akin
  
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- Lloyd Drako
  Posted on November 6, 2012 at 10:44pm
  Nope, both are losing. Next time, play it smart. Focus on the fetus, not on how it got there.
  
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- ModerationIsBest
  Posted on November 6, 2012 at 10:44pm
  They both have lost.
  
  I warned you guys that you were going too extreme.
  
  Looks like you might lose the Presidency and lose a seat or two in the senate.
  
  Report this comment
yetibunker
Posted on November 6, 2012 at 7:07pm
in michigan we have pete hoekstra(R). against that awful tax raising dogs ass debbie stabenaw(D).

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- sparkyrules
  Posted on November 6, 2012 at 7:24pm
  No doubt.
  
  “Climate change is very real,global warming creates volatility. I feel it when I’m flying. The storms are more volatile.”-Debbie Stabenow
  
  It must be when the old hag is flying her broomstick.
  
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- KangarooJack
  Posted on November 6, 2012 at 7:28pm
  Spend-it-now lol!
  
  Report this comment
bdandsl
Posted on November 6, 2012 at 7:06pm
How about California? Emken looks good for defeating Feinstein – God willing.

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- merik59
  Posted on November 6, 2012 at 7:23pm
  I’ll vote for that.
  
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- 45Cal
  Posted on November 6, 2012 at 7:27pm
  I’m a long time resident in SOCAL and have NEVER voted for Feinstein, but I see no way she won’t win once again. However I DO pray you are correct.
  
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justangry
Posted on November 6, 2012 at 7:00pm
You’re missing Ohio, Eddy. I tried to get Sherrod Brown (D) out of the Senate and Steve Stivers (R) out of the Congress because they both support the police statists that support all the post 9/11 BS legislation. Fortunately there was a Libertarian candidate running against Stivers. I can’t vote for a socialist democrat.

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- Fubared
  Posted on November 6, 2012 at 8:03pm
  Oh wow. Have been waiting with baited breath to see exactly how angry was going to roll. The anticipation, the humanity, the stress and anxiety were just overwhelming. Hey, is that a Cheeto under the cushion?
  
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dcbtol
Posted on November 6, 2012 at 6:57pm
In the senate match, where is Ohio senate race Mandell (R) vs. Brown (D)?

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- lucasjsr
  Posted on November 6, 2012 at 9:40pm
  Mandel lost
  
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