Democrats increase strength in both houses of Congress

Democrats strengthened their majorities in both houses of Congress, assuring president-elect Barack Obama a stronger hand in enacting his agenda of change.

The public’s expectations were high that Democrats in Congress will help Mr Obama follow through on campaign promises to end the long-running war in Iraq and fix the financial ills that many blame on President George Bush and his party.

Democrats picked up five more seats in the Senate in yesterday’s voting, increasing their count in the 100-seat upper house to at least 56. They currently have a 51-49 majority, including two independents who vote in their caucus.

Three Senate races with Republican incumbents remained undecided, among them the contentious re-election bid by 84-year-old Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska, the longest-serving Senate Republican, who was convicted last month of lying on Senate forms to hide favours he received from a contractor.

Races in Georgia, Oregon and Minnesota were too close to call. Republican Senator Norm Coleman finished ahead of Democrat Al Franken, the former Saturday Night Live comedian, in the final vote count, but Mr Coleman’s 571-vote margin falls within the state’s mandatory recount law.

Despite the strong showing, Democrats appeared to be falling short of their goal to take 60 Senate seats. A 60-40 majority would make it nearly impossible for the opposition to use procedural manoeuvres to block Democratic proposals from coming to a vote.

In the lower chamber, the House of Representatives, the Democrats expanded their majority by dominating the north-east and ousting Republicans in every region.

The Democrats added at least 18 seats to the 30 they took from Republicans in 2006. Fewer than 10 races remained undecided.

Republicans were on track for their smallest numbers since 1994, the year the so-called Republican Revolution retook the House for the first time in 40 years.

The Democratic edge in the current Congress is 235-199 with one vacancy in a formerly Democratic seat. Two Louisiana seats, one Democratic and one Republican, will not be decided until December because hurricanes postponed their primaries until yesterday.

“The American people have called for a new direction. They have called for change in America,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

It was the first time in more than 75 years that Democrats were on track for big House gains in back-to-back elections.

“This will be a wave upon a wave,” Ms Pelosi said.

House Republicans were licking their wounds and hoping to increase their numbers in the 2010 election.

“We sort of got through this, we think, a little bit better than some people might have expected,” said Tom Cole of Oklahoma, the head of the Republican House campaign committee. “Our worst days are behind us.”

The Democratic victories in the Senate included an upset in North Carolina by Democratic state legislator, Kay Hagan, who unseated Senator Elizabeth Dole, one of the biggest names in the Republican Party and wife of Bob Dole, the party’s 1996 presidential nominee.

Mrs Dole, a former Cabinet secretary in two Republican administrations, had been criticised for spending little time in recent years in her home state.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, attributed the party’s gains to Mr Obama.

“It’s been a really good night,” Mr Reid said. “Obama ran a terrific campaign, he inspired millions of people.”

According to other preliminary counts, 12 Democrats retained their seats and 14 Republicans were re-elected or won seats vacated by retiring Republicans.

Among the Republican survivors was Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who outpolled millionaire businessman Bruce Lunsford to retain his seat. Mr McConnell, the Senate minority leader, is a master strategist and could be a thorn in the side of the Democrats.

“Winston Churchill once said the most exhilarating feeling in life is to be shot at and missed,” Mr McConnell said. “After the last few months I think he really meant to say there is nothing more exhausting. This election has been both.”

The Democratic winners included Mr Obama’s running mate Joe Biden of Delaware, who was elected to his seventh senate term, but must give up his seat now that he will become vice president.

The state’s governor will probably appoint a fellow Democrat to fill Mr Biden’s seat until 2010 when a new election will be held.

A total of 35 seats were in contention in the Senate.

In the House, all 435 seats were up for election.

The defeat of 22-year veteran Representative Chris Shays in Connecticut gave Democrats every House seat from the north-eastern New England states.

Democratic businessman Jim Himes won despite Republican Mr Shays’ recent highly publicised criticism of Mr McCain’s presidential campaign.

The Democrat also won an open seat in the New York City borough of Staten Island, giving them control of all of the city’s congressional delegation in Washington for the first time in 35 years. The incumbent Republican Representative Vito Fossella was forced to resign amid drink-driving charges and revelations that he fathered a child from an extramarital affair.

In the Midwest, Democrats captured one seat in Illinois and two seats each in Michigan and Ohio.

Among the handful of losing Democratic incumbents was Representative Tim Mahoney in Florida, who recently admitted to having extramarital affairs. He was defeated by Republican lawyer Tom Rooney.

But Representative John Murtha, a Pennsylvania Democrat who angered his constituents by describing them as “racist,” easily won re-election.