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midterm elections 2014
President Barack Obama was joined by the House and Senate leaders in holding cross-party talks aimed at ending political gridlock in Washington.
The White House luncheon came after the Republicans won control of the Senate in Tuesday’s elections.
Barack Obama, a Democrat, and heads of both parties in the House of Representatives and Senate were to explore avenues of compromise after years of rancor.
Republicans have called their victory a rebuke of Barack Obama’s policies.
On November 7, the president was joined for lunch by 16 senior legislators including presumptive incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Republican House Speaker John Boehner.
“The American people just want to see work done here in Washington,” Barack Obama said, flanked at the dining table by John Boehner, outgoing Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Mitch McConnell, and Democratic House minority leader Nancy Pelosi.
“They are frustrated by the gridlock. They’d like to see some co-operation, and I think all of us have the responsibility – me in particular – to try and make that happen.”
Barack Obama said he hoped to discuss university affordability, infrastructure investment, overhaul of the tax system, and deficit reduction.
President Barack Obama was joined by the House and Senate leaders in holding cross-party talks aimed at ending political gridlock in Washington (photo Getty Images)
“Those are all going to be areas where I’m very interested in hearing and sharing ideas,” he said.
On November 6, the Republicans won control of the Senate and solidified their hold on the House of Representatives.
With the Republicans in control of both houses of Congress, the party can complicate, if not block completely, Barack Obama’s agenda in the last two years of his tenure in the White House.
Control of the Senate could also enable the Republicans to stymie his ability to name new federal judges, cabinet members and senior government officials.
The new Congress will be sworn in on January 3.
Following the election, Barack Obama and senior Republicans pledged to work together to end the political gridlock that has virtually paralyzed Congress and that reached its culmination with the shutdown of the US government in a budget stalemate last year.
The midterm election campaign was characterized by widespread frustration expressed by voters about the inability of the two parties to work together.
In the wake of the Republican gains, Mitch McConnell vowed to make the Senate function and pass bills, after sessions that were the least productive in the chamber’s history.
Asian stock markets opened higher on November 6 after US stocks hit record highs on Republicans taking control of the Senate.
The Republican victory raised investor hopes for more pro-business and energy-friendly policies from the US government.
The Dow Jones jumped to a new record close of 17,484.53, while the S&P 500 also finished at a record 2,023.57.
Japan’s Nikkei 225 index was up 0.4% to 17,012.71 after five days of gains.
The yen strengthened marginally against the dollar to 114.63, down from 114.69 yen in New York trade.
Asian stock markets opened higher after US stocks hit record highs on Republicans taking control of the Senate
In Greater China, Hong Kong shares opened up 0.2% with the Hang Seng index at 23,737.76.
The benchmark Shanghai Composite index was higher 0.1% to 2,423.23 points.
In Australia, shares were trading lower 0.1% with the benchmark S&P/ASX 200 index at 5,510.20 points despite news that employment figures rebounded in October.
Government data showed that Australia added an estimated 24,100 jobs in October, recovering from a revised 23,700 drop in September. But concerns about the reliability of the data that has been revised a few times in past months weighed on investor sentiment.
Shares of struggling television channel Ten Network rose as much as over 10% in early trade after it said it had hired Citigroup to assess “strategic options” as reports surfaced of takeover offers.
In South Korea, the Kospi index was up over 0.3% at 1,937.78 points.
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The US stock market closed higher with investors relieved that the midterm elections produced a clear result.
The Dow Jones and S&P 500 hit fresh records.
Sentiment was also boosted by an upbeat jobs survey, raising hopes that the official payroll figures on Friday will be strong.
The Dow Jones closed after adding 100.69 points at 17,484.53.
The broad-based S&P 500 rose 11.47 points to 2,023.57 while the NASDAQ lost early gains and fell 2.91 points to 4,620.72.
The US stock market closed higher with investors relieved that the midterm elections produced a clear result (photo Reuters)
Energy shares rose on hopes that the Republican majority in the Senate could lead to new energy-friendly legislation.
The midterm vote also boosted the dollar, which jumped to a seven-year high against the yen of 114.65 yen.
Meanwhile, investors were impressed by a report from payroll processor ADP which said that private firms in the US added 230,000 jobs in October. This was ahead of forecasts and the largest increase since June.
Among individual firms, shares in TripAdvisor dived 14% after the travel review website’s third quarter results fell short of expectations.
Net income for the quarter fell to $54 million from $56 million a year earlier, following a big increase in marketing costs.
Time Warner shares rose 4% after its third quarter profit and revenue beat expectations. It posted net income of $967 million with revenue up 3.3% to $6.24 billion.
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Mitch McConnell, the presumptive Republican leader of the US Senate, has vowed to “work together” with President Barack Obama on issues where they can agree.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said working within a two-party political system did not mean “we have to live in perpetual conflict”.
Mitch McConnell and a host of Republicans swept to victory in the Senate, and now control both chambers of Congress.
President Barack Obama will respond later to what was a terrible result for Democrats.
Mitch McConnell is the presumptive Republican leader of the US Senate
As the new Senate majority leader when the new Congress sits in January, Mitch McConnell will control the chamber’s legislative agenda and floor proceedings.
He has been a fierce critic of the president’s healthcare overhaul and once vowed to block Barack Obama at every turn. But in the glow of victory, he hinted at compromise.
“Tonight we begin another [race]… the race to turn this country around, to restore hope and confidence and optimism to this commonwealth and across this nation,” Mitch McConnell said on Tuesday evening.
“Too many in Washington have forgotten that their job is to serve,” he added.
“We do have an obligation to work together on issues where we can agree.”
Throughout the campaign, Republicans focused on voter dissatisfaction with Barack Obama, a Democrat, describing the vote as a referendum on his presidency.
As the first results came in late on November 4, it became clear they had made the six gains they needed to win control of the Senate.
The Republicans won in Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Montana, North Carolina, South Dakota and West Virginia. The party now controls 52 seats, and is tipped to win at least one more as votes are counted in other states.
The Republicans are also projected to increase their majority – by at least 10 seats – in the House of Representatives to levels not seen since before World War Two.
They also made gains among the 36 governorships up for re-election.
The Republicans will now have the power to complicate, if not block completely, Barack Obama’s agenda in the last two years of his tenure in the White House.
Control of the Senate will also enable the Republicans to stymie his ability to name new federal judges, cabinet members and senior government officials.
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The Republicans have won control of the Senate in the midterm elections, increasing their power in the final two years of Barack Obama’s presidency.
The party won in Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Montana, North Carolina, South Dakota and West Virginia.
It is expected to post more gains as votes are counted in other states.
Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, poised to lead the chamber, said the result was a vote against “a government that people can no longer trust”.
In the midterms, so-called because they fell half way into Barack Obama’s second four-year term in office, about one-third of the Senate, the entire House of Representatives, 36 of 50 state governors, and countless state and local offices were up for election.
Throughout the campaign, Republicans focused on voter dissatisfaction with Barack Obama, a Democrat, describing the vote as a referendum on his presidency.
As the first results came in late on November 4, it became clear they had made convincing gains in the chamber.
With the votes still being counted in many states, the Republican Party easily won the six seats it needed to win control of the Senate.
The party controls 52 seats, and is tipped to win more.
The Republicans have won control of the Senate in the midterm elections, increasing their power in the final two years of Barack Obama’s presidency
When the new Congress is sworn in January, it will mark the first time the Republicans have held both chambers since 2006.
They will now have the power to complicate, if not block completely, Barack Obama’s agenda in the last two years of his tenure in the White House.
Control of the Senate will also enable the Republicans to stymie his ability to name new federal judges, cabinet members and senior government officials.
In addition to seats the party won from the Democrats, the Republicans retained seats in Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.
In Louisiana, neither of the top two candidates gained 50% of the vote, forcing a run-off election in early December.
In Virginia, Democrat Mark Warner was expected to retain his Senate seat amid a much tighter than expected race with Republican ex-lobbyist Ed Gillespie.
One of the night’s key early results came in Kentucky, where Mitch McConnell, the Republican Senate minority leader, fended off Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes.
Mitch McConnell will now become the Senate majority leader, giving him control over the chamber’s legislative agenda and floor proceedings.
“It wasn’t about me or my opponent,” he told supporters as he declared victory, “it was about a government that people can no longer trust.”
Current Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid congratulated Mitch McConnell in a short statement.
“The message from voters is clear: they want us to work together,” said Harry Reid of Nevada, whose role in the soon-to-be Democratic minority remains uncertain.
“I look forward to working with Senator McConnell to get things done for the middle class.”
As well as taking the Senate, the Republicans are projected to increase their majority in the House of Representatives, where all 435 members were up for re-election.
They also made gains among the 36 governorships up for re-election.
Republican governors survived tough re-election battles in Florida, Maine and Wisconsin.
In two results that illustrate the breadth of the Republican sweep, the party’s candidates won in Maryland and Massachusetts, two of the most Democratic-friendly states in the nation. Republican Bruce Rauner also won in Illinois – Barack Obama’s home state – against incumbent Democratic Governor Pat Quinn.
Political gridlock in Congress has already reached historic levels and was a major concern among voters, with many expressing their frustration with the lack of progress on the key issues facing the nation.
Analysts say the Republicans’ victory could make the situation even worse before the president poll in 2016.
Republican leaders have already pledged to move forward on their key policy priorities, pressing Barack Obama to negotiate on their terms
“It’s time for government to start getting results and implementing solutions to the challenges facing our country, starting with our still-struggling economy,” said Republican House Speaker John Boehner.
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Duck Dynasty patriarch Phil Robertson appeared on Sean Hannity show on Fox News on Monday night to talk about nephew Zach Dasher’s Senate race.
Republican candidate Zach Dasher is trying to unseat Rep. Vance McAllister, who benefited from the Robertson family endorsement during last year’s special election in Louisiana.
Zach Dasher and Phil Robertson talked about the role of God in American politics.
“Religion, morality and freedom. It’s the only way to go,” Phil Robertson said.
Louisiana Republican candidate Zach Dasher is Phil Robertson’s nephew
Zach Dasher has embraced his position as the most conservative candidate running in the 5th District. He believes Americans’ rights come from God. He said America is not living by the values set forth in the Declaration of Independence and allowing federal takeover of American life.
“The reason we’ve shredded our Constitution is because we’ve shredded the Declaration of Independence, which tells us where our rights come from. They come from the Creator,” Zach Dasher said.
Phil Robertson’s appearance on Hannity showed he’s doing all he can for Zach Dasher. He also appears in two television ads running in the district where he talks about Zach Dasher’s character.
Zach Dasher is hoping his family’s star power and strong following can help him make the run off. The race is expected to be very close.
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Kansas might elect an independent candidate, businessman Greg Orman, who is looking strong in a battle against Republican incumbent Senator Pat Roberts.
Kansas has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1932, and will not again in 2014.
The Democratic Party removed its candidate from the ballot, deeming Greg Orman the best chance at unseating Pat Roberts.
Pat Roberts was first elected to the Senate in 1996, and has not faced a challenge this tough since.
Independent Greg Orman is looking strong in Kansas battle against Republican incumbent Senator Pat Roberts
He is among the more conservative members of the Senate, according to an analysis by GovTrack, which is not necessarily a liability in a state that pioneered anti-abortion politics, has one of the most conservative governors in the country, and has not voted for a Democrat since 1964.
Pat Roberts’ political opponents have portrayed him as out of touch with his constituents, playing up a report that he did not own a home in Kansas and had scant ties to the state.
Greg Orman has not said which party he would caucus with if elected, suggesting he will side with whichever has the majority.
As polls suggest Greg Orman is leading Pat Roberts, Republicans have sought to portray him as a Democrat in all but name and highlighted his business connections with Rajat Gupta, who was of convicted securities fraud.
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In Iowa, Republican Senator Joni Ernst and Democratic Congressman Bruce Braley are vying for the Senate seat left vacant by the retirement of long-time Democratic Senator Tom Harkin.
Joni Ernst is a military veteran and has served in the Iowa senate since 2011. She opposes a national federal minimum wage, supported an anti-abortion law that would define foetuses as legal persons, and calls for the repeal of Barack Obama’s healthcare overhaul.
Republican Senator Joni Ernst and Democratic Congressman Bruce Braley are vying for Iowa Senate seat left vacant by the retirement of long-time Democratic Senator Tom Harkin
Bruce Braley, a lawyer who has represented the north-eastern part of the state in Congress since 2007, was initially projected to win the seat.
However, Joni Ernst has leapt on a video that surfaced in which Bruce Braley appeared to denigrate Iowa’s sitting senator Chuck Grassley as a mere farmer, rather than a lawyer.
Also, Joni Ernst has made the most of a dispute Bruce Braley had with a neighbor at his vacation property over chickens she allowed to roam free across his land.
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In Georgia, non-profit executive Michelle Nunn and businessman David Perdue are running for a senate seat left empty by the retirement of Republican Saxby Chambliss.
Michelle Nunn, who until recently was the chief executive of Points of Light, a charity focused on volunteering, is the daughter of long-time Senator Sam Nunn. She is trying to become the first Democratic senator elected in Georgia since 2000 and has run on a platform of targeted spending cuts, immigration reform and a lifetime ban on members of Congress becoming lobbyists.
Non-profit executive Michelle Nunn and businessman David Perdue are running for Georgia senate seat left empty by the retirement of Republican Saxby Chambliss
David Perdue, a business executive, has campaigned on a complete overhaul of America’s income tax system and disbanding the US education department. Like most Republicans, he has come out strongly in opposition to Barack Obama’s healthcare overhaul.
The Georgia Senate race is rare in that it features two candidates who have never held public office and thus have no voting records.
The race has turned extremely negative. David Perdue has run adverts accusing Michelle Nunn’s charity of funding terrorists.
Michelle Nunn’s line of attack features a quote from David Perdue in which he said in a court case that had had spent most of his business career “outsourcing” US jobs.
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In Colorado, Republican Congressman Cory Gardner hopes to unseat Democratic Senator Mark Udall in a race that highlights the state’s geographic and cultural divisions.
Cory Gardner represents the eastern, rural part of Colorado in the US House, while Mark Udall is a first-term senator from the liberal enclave of Boulder. According to the political forecasting website 538.com, the ideological divide between the two candidates is the largest of any competitive Senate race.
Republican Congressman Cory Gardner hopes to unseat Democratic Senator Mark Udall
Mark Udall, the son of long-time liberal Democratic Congressman Mo Udall, ran Outward Bound, a company that sponsors outdoor activities for children and teens and spent ten years in the House of Representatives before his election to the Senate in 2008. He has focused his race on the environment and his experience working with both senators of both parties, and has sought to portray Cory Gardner as an extremist, particularly on abortion.
Cory Gardner was first elected to Congress in 2010 after representing the area in the state legislature. He hails from a prominent family of tractor dealers.
The Colorado lawmaker has attempted to moderate his conservative platform of spending cuts and increased US energy production with a pro-conservation stance to appeal to outdoor-minded Coloradans.
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In Arkansas, Democrat Senator Mark Pryor is running for re-election against Republican Tom Cotton, a freshman congressman.
Mark Pryor was elected to the Senate in 2002 after stints as Arkansas’ attorney general and in the state legislature. He is a centrist Democrat who sometimes crosses the aisle to join Republicans, for instance by opposing a bill to raise the federal minimum wage. He voted for Barack Obama’s signature 2010 healthcare overhaul, which is roundly despised by the Republicans.
Democrat Senator Mark Pryor is running for re-election against Republican Tom Cotton in Arkansas
Tom Cotton, a Harvard-educated lawyer who served as an Army officer in Afghanistan and Iraq, is among the most conservative members of the House.
In the past decade the Republican Party has taken control of the Arkansas state legislature and won five out of the six federal offices, with Mark Pryor the last Democrat representing the state in Washington. That leaves Mark Pryor among the most vulnerable Democratic incumbents of this election cycle.
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In North Carolina, Democratic Senator Kay Hagan faces Republican Thom Tillis, the speaker of the state House of Representatives, in the most expensive race of the election cycle.
Kay Hagan was elected in 2008, aided in a conservative state by voters lured to the polls to cast a ballot for Barack Obama. A moderate Democrat who has largely supported the president’s agenda, Kay Hagan is now trying to distance herself from him by proposing changes to those policies or emphasizing the differences between the two of them.
Democratic Senator Kay Hagan faces Republican Thom Tillis, the speaker of the state House of Representatives, in the most expensive race of the election cycle
Thom Tillis has pitched himself as a moderate on some issues, for instance supporting prescription-free access to birth control.
However, Thom Hagan has attacked his record leading a state legislature that passed very conservative laws including abortion restrictions, limits on ballot access and voter registration, and cuts to the state education budget.
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North Carolina – Kay Hagan vs. Thom Tillis
Arkansas – Mark Pryor vs. Tom Cotton
Colorado – Mark Udall vs. Cory Gardner
Colorado Senator Mark Udall and his challenger, Representative Cory Gardner (photo The Denver Post)
Georgia – Michelle Nunn vs. David Perdue
Iowa – Joni Ernst vs. Bruce Braley
Kansas – Greg Orman vs. Pat Roberts
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Millions of Americans are preparing to vote in midterm elections which will decide who controls the Senate and pave the way for the 2016 race for the White House.
Polling booths open on Tuesday, November 4, beginning 06:00 Eastern time.
The Republicans, who already control the House of Representatives, need to gain just six seats to take the Senate.
Meanwhile the Democrats are battling to stay ahead as President Barack Obama’s approval ratings fall to the lowest they have been since he was elected.
Many analysts predict a Republican victory as Barack Obama’s popularity rate fails to climb much above 40%, despite recent improvements in the economy.
“This is a referendum on the president,” Republican senator and potential 2016 presidential candidate Rand Paul told NBC’s Meet the Press at the weekend.
Democrats say their proven ability to rally their supporters ahead of elections could still give them the advantage.
“Grab everybody you know, get them out to vote, don’t stay home, don’t let somebody else choose your future for you,” Barack Obama said during a campaign rally on November 2.
Without the focus of a presidential campaign, the midterms – which are named because they fall in the middle of a presidential term – typically see a low voter turnout.
Millions of Americans are preparing to vote in midterm elections which will decide who controls the Senate and pave the way for the 2016 race for the White House
They also typically favor the party that is not in power.
This year, a little over a third of the 100-seat Senate, all 435 members of the House of Representatives, 36 out of 50 state governors, and countless state and local offices are up for election.
The most closely watched action will be the races that will determine control of the upper chamber of Congress, the Senate.
The Democrats currently hold a five-seat majority in the Senate, meaning the Republicans need only six seats to take control.
As the Republicans already have a convincing hold over the lower House of Representatives, a win in the Senate would give them the power to shut down Barack Obama’s policies in the last two years of his term.
Aside from Barack Obama’s unpopularity, there is no single issue that dominates this midterm poll.
Instead voters will be swayed by a broad variety of concerns including the economy, the environment, immigration, foreign policy, abortion and healthcare.
The most competitive Senate races are expected to take place in the states of North Carolina, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa and Kansas.
Across the board, voters have expressed their dissatisfaction with both parties’ inability to co-operate in Congress and the resulting gridlock this has caused.
If the Republicans do win control of the Senate, the day-to-day running of the chamber will become the responsibility of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, should he win his own tough campaign for re-election.
As the country then shifts its focus to the 2016 presidential election, Barack Obama is likely to find it increasingly hard to operate as his term draws to a close, analysts say.
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Texas can use its controversial new voter ID law for the November election, the Supreme Court ruled on October 18.
A majority of the justices rejected an emergency request from the Justice Department and civil rights groups to prohibit the state from requiring voters to produce certain forms of photo identification in order to cast ballots. Three justices dissented.
Texas can use its controversial new voter ID law for the November election
Texas ID law was struck down by a federal judge last week, but a federal appeals court had put that ruling on hold. The judge found that roughly 600,000 voters, many of them black or Latino, could be turned away at the polls because they lack acceptable identification. Early voting in Texas begins Monday, October 20.
The Supreme Court’s order was unsigned, as it typically is in these situations. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan dissented, saying they would have left the district court decision in place.
The law sets out seven forms of approved ID, a list that includes concealed handgun licenses but not college student IDs, which are accepted in other states with similar measures.
President Barack Obama will delay taking executive action on immigration until after the midterm elections in November, White House officials said on September 6.
The president bows to pressure from fellow Democrats who feared that acting now could doom his party’s chances this fall.
In June 2014, Barack Obama promised to use executive orders that were expected to change visa rules, boost border security and give a path to citizenship for some 11 million US-based illegal immigrants.
Each year tens of thousands try to get into the US from Mexico.
President Barack Obama will delay taking executive action on immigration until after the midterm elections in November
Many are unaccompanied children, and Barack Obama has called the situation a “humanitarian crisis”.
Barack Obama has spent years promising immigration reform, but has been thwarted by Republicans in Congress.
White House officials said that the Republicans’ “extreme politicization of this issue” meant it would be harmful to the long-term prospects for reform to take action before the election.
Officials said immigration reform would still be forced through before the end of the year.
Analysts say the move is likely to benefit some Democrats up for re-election in November in closely fought seats.
Immigration advocacy group United We Dream called the delay a “slap to the face of the Latino and immigrant community”.
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