After the results of the November 2nd Midterm Election, we have learned that the Republicans have gained control of the House of Representatives. Because we have had a Democratic President, and the House and Senate controlled by the Democrats for the past two years, this marks a big change that will be occurring in our government in these next couple months. The Republicans gaining control of the House proves how this was a critical midterm election and how the country is realigning because of it.
To break it down, the House of Representatives now has 239 Republicans and 189 Democrats. The Republicans needed 39 seats to gain control and in the end gained over 60+ seats, therefore at the same time the Democrats lost 60 seats. The reason why this is so monumental is because historically the shift in these numbers hasn’t been to this large of an extent. In 2006, the Democrats gained 31 seats and in 2008 they gained 24 seats. Since the Republicans gained over 60 seats this proves how much of an enormous impact this midterm election will have on our government when it officially changes in a couple months. The last three comparable surges like this once we are seeing now were during the Republican Revolution in 1994, where 54 seats changed, the Watergate Babies, when 48 seats changed, and a long time ago in 1948 when the Democrats picked up a large amount of seats. This once again reiterates how much of an impact this election will have considering so many seats changed and the Republicans took control of the House.
The House Republican Leader is John Boehner and he has a long road ahead of him as far as the things he wants to accomplish now that the Republicans are in control. Boehner vowed to fulfill his party's "pledge" to cut spending and reduce the size of government, saying he's willing to work with President Obama if he "respects the will of the people" and changes course. Now that the Democrats don’t have complete control over the government and the Republicans have taken over the House, it will be interesting to see the changes that are made over the course of the next two years!
*Map of the United States, Democratic vs. Republican states, after November 2, 2010 Midterm Election. Source: Fox News.
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