Washington: Republicans strained to capture control of the Senate while Democrats struggled to limit their congressional losses on a final day of campaigning for elections that could change the balance of power midway through an unpopular President Barack Obama's second term.
Democrats weighed down by Obama's low approval ratings kept their distance from him and looked to a costly turn-out-the-vote operation in the most competitive Senate races to save their seats and their majority in Tuesday's election.
The Democrats have worked furiously to reach out to minority and poor voters who tend to sit out elections when the presidency is not at stake.
“Despite all the cynicism America is making progress,” Obama said as he implored Democrats in Connecticut to vote. “Don't stay home. Don't let somebody else choose your future for you.”
Unlike the Democrats, Republicans working to fire up their own core voters had a unified message, casting the election as a referendum on Obama.
Republicans need six seats to win control of the Senate, the biggest prize in the election. There was little suspense in the House races, with not even Democrats predicting they would be able to take control away from the Republicans. Instead, the Democrats concentrated on protecting their incumbents and keeping the Republicans from padding their majority too much.
With a handful of close races expected to decide control of the Senate, astronomical spending and cease-less attack ads have dominated campaigning—with a few ideas offered on how best to govern the nation. Serious discussions about deficit spending, climate change, immigration, and other knotty issues rarely emerged.
Partisan fighting and legislative inaction have already characterized Washington in recent years, peaking in 2013 with budget fights that shut down the government and raised the specter of a default on the federal debt.
With a Democrat in the White House and Republicans in control of Congress, a big question is whether the legislative paralysis would deepen or whether political reality will push both sides to compromise at least on modest goals.
