Headaches ahead for Obama as Republicans win control of US Senate

Republicans won control of the US Senate, capturing seats from Democrats in elections Tuesday shaped by deep voter discontent with President Barack Obama. With Republicans retaining their majority in the House of Representatives, Obama will spend his final two years as president contending with a Congress fully controlled by opponents who have been determined to block his policies. Republicans won at least seven seats now held by Democrats, while Democrats failed to pick up a single Republican seat. That assures the Republicans of at least 52 votes in the 100-member chamber. Among the Republicans re-elected Tuesday was the man who would likely become majority leader if the party captures the Senate: Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. Democrats once had high hopes of defeating him, but he pulled away in the final weeks. [caption id=“attachment_1788637” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] It’s going to be a long hard road ahead: AFP[/caption] CBS News projected the Republicans would hold at least 226 of the 435 House seats. NBC said the party would take 242 seats. In the Senate contests, Republicans picked up West Virginia when Shelley Moore Capito won the race for the seat vacated by retiring Democrat Jay Rockefeller. In battleground state Arkansas, Republican challenger Tom Cotton defeated incumbent Democratic Senator Mark Pryor in the home state of former president Bill Clinton. And in South Dakota, Republican Mike Rounds defeated Democrat Rick Weiland to take the seat of retiring Democratic Senator Tim Johnson, network projections said. Montana also flipped to the Republicans, as Steve Daines topped Democrat Amanda Curtis in a seat that had been Democratic. In Kentucky, Republican Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell was re-elected, according to projections – putting him in line to be the next majority leader if his party gains control of the upper chamber. Key Senate races in North Carolina and Georgia were so far too close to call. In North Carolina, Democrat Kay Hagan was battling for re-election against Republican challenger Thom Tillis in the most expensive midterm contest, with spending expected to top $100 million. In Georgia, Republican David Perdue was projected to get more than 50 percent, avoiding a runoff in three-way race against Democrat Michelle Nunn and Libertarian Amanda Swafford, CNN and CBS reported. The win would keep the Georgia seat in Republican hands. Republicans also held Kansas, with incumbent Pat Roberts fending off independent challenger Greg Orman, Fox and CBS said. A runoff was projected in Louisiana, with incumbent Democrat Mary Landrieu and Republican Bill Cassidy leading a field of nine candidates. In one key hold for the Democrats, Senator Jeanne Shaheen was re-elected in New Hampshire, fending off a challenge from Scott Brown, a former Republican senator in Massachusetts. The race in Virginia was far tighter than expected, with Senator Mark Warner, a Democrat, and Republican challenger Ed Gillespie running neck-and-neck, networks said. Associated Press/AFP