President George W Bush, his personal prestige on the line, settled in at the White House this evening to see whether his fund-raising and campaigning helped propel Republicans into control of Congress.
After hitting 17 cities across 15 states in the last five days of the campaign, President Bush cast his own ballot in Crawford, Texas, near his ranch and returned to the White House to await the voters' verdict.
The effect of his all-out campaigning was to put his own reputation on the line in the drive to maintain Republican control of the House of Representatives and try to grab away the Senate from the Democrats' one-vote majority there.
The way the White House spun the situation, the only way for Bush to look like a loser would be for the Republicans to suffer major losses.
The party in control of the White House usually loses seats in mid-term congressional elections, and polls suggested this would not happen.
Bush could become the third president in a century to gain House seats in a mid-term election after Franklin Roosevelt in 1934 and Bill Clinton in 1998.
All 435 seats in the House of Representatives, 34 of 100 Senate seats and 36 state governorships are at stake in an election that will decide who controls Congress.
If Republicans keep the House and manage to retake the Senate, Bush's legislative agenda would get a boost, with the prospect of getting more of his judicial nominees confirmed, his proposal for a Department of Homeland Security approved, and further tax breaks.
If the Senate stays Democratic, Bush's next two years could be difficult going without significant compromises on his part.
When asked how he thought Republicans would do in the Senate, Bush, dressed in blue jeans, a leather jacket and cowboy boots, flashed a thumbs-up sign to waiting reporters after voting in Crawford with his wife Laura, on the 25th anniversary of their wedding.
"I hope people vote. I'm encouraging all people across this country to vote," Bush said.
Bush planned to relax during the afternoon and then host top Republican leaders and spouses at an early White House dinner.