CNN news 2010-11-06
Here with your results from the U.S. midterm elections, plus more events from around the world, this is your commercial-free show for the classroom: CNN Student News!
Let me just say this: It's clear tonight who the winners really are, and that's the American people. It was the American people's voice that was heard at the ballot box -- the American people's voice. And listen, I'm gonna be brief because we've got real work to do and, frankly, this is not a time for celebration.
Representative John Boehner, saying he and other Republicans are ready to get back to work in Washington, D.C. You might have noticed his title: minority leader. When it comes to the U.S. House of Representatives, his party won't be in the minority much longer. Yesterday, we explained how the Republicans needed to win 39 additional seats to take control in the House. They won at least 60. Experts say that is the biggest gain by any major political party since 1948.
When we produced this show on Wednesday, Republicans were projected to win 239 of the 435 seats in the House of Representatives. Democrats were projected to take 185. 11 races hadn't been called yet. It takes 218 to hold a majority in the House. An important thing to keep in mind: The new members of Congress who were elected Tuesday, they aren't starting their new jobs just yet. That'll happen in January. And when it does, a lot of people expect that Representative Boehner will be chosen as the new speaker of the House.
I have to admit, this has been one of the toughest. But it's nothing compared to the fights families are facing all over Nevada right now. This race has been called, but the fight is far from over. The bell that just rang isn't the end of the fight, it's the start of the next round.
Heading over to the other side of Congress now, the U.S. Senate. That was Senator Harry Reid, a Democrat and the Senate majority leader. His party will stay in the majority in the Senate. Takes 51 seats to hold that majority. After Tuesday's results, CNN is projecting that Democrats will hold 52 seats. Republicans are projected to hold 47. There was still 1 seat undecided when we recorded today's show. That 47 number for the Republicans is up from 41 before the midterms. So, they did make gains, just not enough to win a Senate majority.
You've heard a lot about the Tea Party movement during this campaign season. It had an impact on the election results. Senate candidates in Kentucky and Florida who were backed by Tea Party supporters both won their elections. And some experts said that the Tea Party movement was responsible for the big shift in the House, too.