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Disaster for Obama as Republicans win US Senate

But compounding Democratic woes, projections showed the GOP could actually gain an impressive 14 to 18 House seats, giving Republicans their largest majority since 1946.

The party of an incumbent president historically fares badly in elections in his second term, and every president since Ronald Reagan has left office with the opposition controlling Congress.

The Republicans, capitalizing on the nation’s sour mood despite an economic recovery, essentially based their campaigns on attacks against Obama and policies like his troubled health care reform.

“It was a powerful repudiation of the Obama agenda,” conservative Senator Ted Cruz told CNN.

But he repeated what many in his party have urged, that the responsibility now falls on Republicans to govern, particularly in the run-up to the 2016 presidential election.

“We are humbled by the responsibility the American people have placed with us, but this is not a time for celebration,” House Speaker John Boehner said, adding he hoped Obama would not launch a ‘counterattack’ on the Republican majority.

“It’s time for government to start getting results and implementing solutions to the challenges facing our country, starting with our still-struggling economy,” Boehner added.

While Republicans are likely to cooperate on issues like tax reform, the party will seek to breathe life into their stalled jobs bills, to gain approval of the delayed Keystone XL pipeline, roll back some carbon emission regulations and tweak Obamacare.

Election night was ugly from the get go for Obama’s party.

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Democrats including Senator Mark Pryor of Arkansas, Kay Hagan of North Carolina and Mark Udall of Colorado fell like dominoes as Republicans capitalized on a particularly strong set of candidates, including Arkansas’ Tom Cotton and Colorado’s Cory Gardner, who successfully convinced voters they would be better off with leaders not loyal to an unpopular president.

Conservative Joni Ernst won her battle in Iowa, becoming the state’s first female senator and assuring Republicans hold at least 52 seats.

Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire held her seat, but that was the only good news for Democrats, as Republicans fended off challenges in GOP strongholds Georgia, Kansas and Kentucky.

The onslaught could well deepen for Democrats, with an unexpected cliffhanger remaining in Virginia, Alaska up in the air and Louisiana Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu forced into an unfavorable December 6 runoff.

The Republican performance appeared to surpass most expectations.

“They’ve done this about as well as they could conceivably have done it,” University of Michigan assistant professor Michael Heaney told AFP.

A chastened Obama has invited the four congressional leaders to the White House on Friday.

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