U.S. SENATE: REPUBLICANS TAKE CONTROL, DEFEAT DEMOCRATS

President Obama

Yesterday, Republicans took control of the U.S. Senate in a series of stinging defeats for Democrats and President Obama, who will face a unified GOP-controlled Congress for his final two years in office.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., will become majority leader in January after he glided to re-election Tuesday against Democratic Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes.

Obama asked congressional leaders to meet with him at the White House on Friday.

"We do have an obligation to work together on issues where we agree," McConnell said Tuesday evening in his victory speech. "Just because we have a two-party system doesn't mean we have to be in perpetual conflict."

Republicans enjoyed five takeovers early Tuesday evening of Democratic-held seats in Arkansas, Colorado, Montana, West Virginia and South Dakota.

North Carolina Republican Thom Tillis provided the sixth GOP takeover to tip the Senate in the GOP's favor when he narrowly defeated Democratic incumbent Sen. Kay Hagan. Republicans picked up a seventh seat in Iowa after Republican Joni Ernst defeated Democratic Rep. Bruce Braley in an open seat race to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin.

Democrats held no further prospects for takeovers of their own, leaving the GOP a guaranteed takeover even as the Democratic-held seats in Alaska remained undecided and Louisiana was headed to a runoff.

Incumbent Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor of Arkansas was ousted by GOP Rep. Tom Cotton, and Colorado Sen. Mark Udall was ousted by GOP Rep. Cory Gardner. GOP Rep. Shelley Moore Capito made history as the first woman elected to serve West Virginia in the Senate. Former South Dakota governor Mike Rounds cruised to victory for an open seat despite late Democratic attempts to make the seat competitive.

GOP Rep. Steve Daines faced only token opposition in Montana, which slipped away from Democrats months ago after incumbent Sen. John Walsh dropped out of the race following revelations that he plagiarized his master's thesis at the Army War College. His degree was revoked in October.

As Obama's approval ratings hovered in the low 40s and the battle for control largely played out in states Mitt Romney won in 2012, Senate Republicans enjoyed sweeping victories. The GOP further fended off a challenge from Democrat Michelle Nunn, the daughter of a popular former Democratic senator, when businessman David Perdue surpassed the 50% threshold to avoid a runoff Jan. 6, keeping the seat in GOP hands.

Overall, 36 Senate seats were up for re-election Tuesday, but 11 Republican incumbents and 10 Democratic incumbents were sailing to re-election in non-competitive races.

Battle for control of the Senate had focused in 10 states. Democrats controlled the Senate 55-45, with the help of two independents. Republicans needed a net gain of six seats to take control of the chamber because Vice President Biden would have been the tiebreaker in a 50-50 Senate.

The Senate will see new faces in Oklahoma and Nebraska. Oklahoma GOP Rep. James Lankford easily won the race to fill out the term of Sen. Tom Coburn, who is retiring early, and Ben Sasse won the Nebraska seat held by retiring GOP Sen. Mike Johanns.