Republicans have celebrated their historic sweep of the Senate and House of Representatives in mid-term elections that strengthened the hand of President George W. Bush to pursue his conservative agenda and a showdown with Iraq.
The president's party took back the Senate from the opposition Democrats and increased its majority in the House after yesterday's midterm elections.
Democrats, however, seemed poised to erase the Republicans' 27-21 advantage in state governorships after scoring key gains in large states such as Pennsylvania, Illinois and Michigan among the 36 governorships up for grabs.
Republicans now have 51 of the 100 seats, the Democrats have 47 and there is one independent. The Democrats are expected to win a re-run of the Louisiana vote on December 7th.
Democrats had sought to woo voters preoccupied with the floundering US economy and possible war against Iraq to maintain or increase their one-seat majority in the 100-seat Senate and win seats in the 435-member House of Representatives.
In the House, Republicans appear to have clinched 226 seats while the Democrats had 204, with one independent and four undecided, according to network projections.
Regaining control of the Senate was a clear prize for Mr Bush as it will cement his efforts to make a mammoth 10-year tax cut permanent; speed federal funds to religious charities; and appoint conservative judges.
Mr Trent Lott, set to become the Republicans Senate majority leader, praised Bush for his energetic cross-country campaign shuttle ahead of the vote. "A lot of the credit goes to the president," he said. "He got out there, put his prestige on the line. He led, and he made a difference."
A 51 seat majority in the Senate means Republicans are not so dependent on Vice President Dick Cheney's tie-breaking vote to give them the advantage.
Republicans retained Senate seats in North Carolina and New Hampshire where relatives of past GOP officials - Mrs Elizabeth Dole, wife of former presidential candidate Mr Bob Dole, and Mr John Sununu, son of former White House chief of staff Mr John Sununu - won.
In key battleground states like Florida, where Mr Jeb Bush defeated Democrat Mr Bill McBride, and New York, where incumbent Republican Mr George Pataki beat Democrat Mr H Carl McCall, the Democrats' optimism appeared misplaced.
In a surprise result, Republican candidate Mr Robert Ehrlich defeated the presumed favorite, Democrat Ms Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, a scion of the famed Kennedy clan, for the Maryland governship, according to network projections.
And Republicans also picked up control of the South Carolina statehouse and in Georgia where Republican challenger Mr Sonny Perdue defeated Democratic incumbent Mr Roy Barnes to be the first Republican governor there since 1872.
Democrats, for their part, were poised to take over Republican governorships in Illinois, New Mexico, Kansas, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Tennessee, according to US media projections. Democrats also were leading in the Republican-held states of Arizona, Oklahoma and Wisconsin, while a Republican candidate led in Hawaii.
AFP AFP