Congressional Elections 2006

Republicans were struggling Tuesday to keep the congressional seat vacated by former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, with early election results showing the GOP's write-in candidate trailing her Democratic rival. Shelley Sekula-Gibbs, the Houston city councilwoman chosen by Republican leaders to run after DeLay suddenly dropped out amid legal problems, had 42% of the vote, while Democrat Nick Lampson had 52% in early returns.

For six tumultuous years President Bush has provoked intense opposition while mobilizing passionate support for an ambitious conservative agenda. On Tuesday, that perilous strategy crumbled -- and triggered his party's abrupt fall from power. Republicans lost control of the House, and teetered on the edge of losing the Senate as well.

Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Don Sherwood, tarnished by an adultery scandal and allegations that he tried to choke his much younger mistress, lost his seat to a Democratic challenger. Chris Carney, a Navy Reserve officer, defeated four-term Sherwood in his conservative district. Sherwood had no major competition in his last two races but this time faced a sex scandal and corruption allegations. Although he apologized for the affair, he denied other allegations.

Throughout election day, Nancy Pelosi appeared focused and confident, as though a Democratic victory were a fait accompli. Then the returns started coming in, and the Democrats started gaining House seats quickly. When Republican Nancy Johnson of Connecticut went down to defeat, an aide said, Pelosi dropped her calm facade and let out a shriek.

Sarah Cliffers walked into the polling station at Busch AAA Middle School on Tuesday morning with one goal in mind: to help preserve the Republican dominance in Missouri by voting to reelect Sen. Jim Talent. "The Show Me State will never go blue," said 42-year-old Cliffers. "We'll never support abortion. We'll never support stem cell research." Standing ahead of Cliffers in the long line, Brandon Hiller was equally determined: He wanted to get Democrat Claire McCaskill, into the Senate.

Sen. Joe Lieberman, the Democrats' vice presidential candidate in 2000 who ran as an independent after losing the primary, kept his Connecticut seat. Lieberman's win as an independent capped a dramatic comeback. His 18-year Senate career was in jeopardy after a loss to antiwar candidate Ned Lamont in the August Democratic primary. Lieberman will be one of two independents in the new Senate -- the other is Bernie Sanders of Vermont.

Two years after reelecting President Bush and affirming the Republican dominance of Washington, voters handed the president and his party a stinging rebuke Tuesday, giving Democrats control of the House for the first time in 12 years in a campaign overshadowed by deepening public disapproval of the Iraq war. In the Senate, Democrats were on the brink of picking up the six seats they needed to capture a majority, with the outcome resting on cliffhanger races in Montana and Virginia.

A political neophyte won disgraced U.S. Rep. Mark Foley's congressional seat Tuesday, capturing the staunchly conservative bastion for the Democrats for the first time in a quarter of a century. Democrat Tim Mahoney won the battle of no-names against Republican Joe Negron, who joined the race only five weeks ago and under the shadow of Foley's alleged sexual misconduct. With 91% of the district's precincts reporting, Mahoney had 49.

U.S. Rep Loretta Sanchez appeared headed for an easy victory Tuesday evening over Republican challenger Tan Nguyen, in a race that attracted little attention until a letter meant to keep Latino voters from the polls was linked to Nguyen's campaign. Few gave Nguyen much chance of defeating Sanchez, (D-Santa Ana). Nguyen had made cracking down on illegal immigration the centerpiece of his campaign, in a district where Latinos comprise 35% of registered voters.