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Democrats surge to
new gains in Senate
WASHINGTON: Democrats
surged to a 56-seat majority
in the US Senate, wresting five
seats from the Republicans as
voters approved a mandate
for change with the election of
Barack Obama as president.
Leading lawmakers hailed
their expanded control of the
Senate as the start of a new
chapter in history, even as they
fell short of a 60-seat margin that
would have given them power
to block Republican delaying
tactics.
“Tonight, the American
people have called for a new
direction. They have called for a
change for America,” said House
speaker Nancy Pelosi, who
promised progress on rebuild-
ing the economy and improving
education and healthcare.
Prior to Tuesday’s vote,
Democrats held 49 seats in the
100-member Senate but enjoyed
a relative majority thanks to the
support of two independents.
Optimism among Democrats
ran high as massive voter turn-
out, economic woes and disdain
for Republican policies fueled
victories in key races in Virginia,
New Hampshire, North Carolina,
Colorado and New Mexico.
Democrats won 17 of the 35
Senate seats up for grabs, while
Republicans took 14. Four races
were still undecided at 0800
Projected party divisions
Results as at 07:30 GMT
Democrat Republican
Current House New House
Vacant: 1
Independent: 1 Undecided: 27
Current Senate New Senate
Independent: 2 Undecided: 4
© GRAPHIC NEWS
Faces intense pressure to
deliver election promises
» From Front Page
“This is a great night. This
is an unbelievable night,”
said US Rep. John Lewis of
Georgia, who was brutally
beaten by police in Selma,
Alabama, during a civil
rights march in the 1960s.
Lewis was at a
celebration in Ebenezer
Baptist Church in Atlanta,
the home church of Martin
Luther King, who led the
civil rights movement and
was murdered in 1968.
Rev. Jesse Jackson, a
prominent civil rights leader
and former presidential
candidate, joined the
celebrations in Chicago
on Tuesday night, tears
streaming down his cheeks.
Obama will face intense
pressure to deliver on his
campaign promises. He
has vowed to restore US
leadership in the world by
working closely with foreign
allies, to withdraw US troops
from Iraq in the first 16
months of his term and to
GMT (4pm in Malaysia).
The House of Representa-
tives also swelled in the ranks
of Democratic blue with major
networks projecting 12-24 new
seats going to members of
Obama’s party, driving up their
previous 36 seat majority in the
435-member chamber.
The wins gave Democrats
their second significant boost
since the 2006 elections, when
they gained 30 seats in the House
and six in the Senate, wrenching
both lawmaking chambers from
the Republicans.
“It’s a great night for the
United States Congress. And
it’s a great night for the United
States of America,” said House
Majority leader Steny Hoyer.
The first Senate win of the
evening went to Democrat Mark
Warner in Virginia, elected to fill
the seat being vacated by retir-
ing Republican John Warner, who
is no relation.
In the northern US state
of New Hampshire, Democrat
Jeanne Shaheen unseated
Republican John Sununu, while
in the western state of New
Mexico, Democrat Tom Udall
won the seat left by retiring
Republican Pete Domenici, who
was first elected in 1972.
North Carolina tipped to Dem-
ocrat Kay Hagan after a tense
race with Republican Elizabeth
Dole, whose campaign faces a
defamation lawsuit over an ad
it ran linking Hagan to “Godless
Americans,” an atheist political
action committee. – AFP
bolster US troop levels in
Afghanistan.
But his immediate task
will be tackling the US
financial crisis, the worst
since the Great Depression.
Obama has proposed
another stimulus package
that could cost about US$175
billion (RM630 billion)
and include funding for
infrastructure and another
round of rebate checks.
Most world leaders
welcomed Obama’s victory.
Allied governments said they
hoped for closer cooperation
with Washington, while
critics of the US, ranging
from officials in Russia and
Iran to Islamist groups in the
Middle East, called for clear
changes in policy.
Besides Ohio and Florida,
Obama won Virginia, Iowa,
New Mexico, Nevada and
Colorado – all states won by
Bush in 2004. McCain’s loss
in Pennsylvania eliminated
his best hope of capturing
a Democratic-leaning state.
– Reuters
theSun | THURSDAY NOVEMBER 6 2008
REUTERSPIX
Supporters of
From Paris to Obama,
Obama react
after it was
announced
that he was
the winner
of the US
presidential
they sang and danced
election
yesterday.
LONDON: Supporters of Barack men cheered and clapped while the nightclub quarter, the second
Obama erupted into song women ululated and shouted largest party in town after a bash
and dance around the world “Obama! Obama!” at the US embassy.
yesterday, from the bars of For tens of millions of non- “It would be nice to have a
London and Sydney to a sleepy Americans without a direct share president who is celebrated when
village in Kenya, after his historic in the vote, it was a chance to see he goes abroad and his effigy is
US election victory. Obama make history as the first not burned,” said one partygoer,
Parties spilled onto the streets black US leader. David Grey.
from Berlin to Havana and from In Obama, an ancient fishing There were similar scenes
Paris to the small Japanese town town on the Sea of Japan, across western Europe. In Berlin
of Obama, and expat Americans residents dressed in Hawaiian revellers partied on the Unter
joined rallies in cities around the skirts performed a hula dance den Linden boulevard, just down
globe. in celebration, embracing the road from where Obama
“Senator Obama is our new Hawaiian-born Obama as one of drew 200,000 people to hear him
president. God has answered our their own. speak in July.
prayer,” said pastor Washington “I’m so excited because Catherena Oostveen, a
Obonyo in Kogelo, the Kenyan Obama shares our town’s name. German-Russian actress who
village where Obama’s But even if the town was called trained in the United States,
grandmother lives and where his McCain I would still support showed up in a red-white-and-
late father was born. Barack Obama,” said 44-year-old blue t-shirt and a cowboy hat.
“I am very happy, I have not
slept the whole night, even my
dancer Masayo Ishibashi.
In London, Americans
“Obama is so intelligent and
inspiring that I hope he can
wife slept alone as I waited for
the results,” added Joseph Otieno,
munching hot dogs and swigging
bottled beer crowded the
change the things that the rest of
the world is so angry about right
a jubilant Kogelo resident, while Democrat-dominated Yates bar in now,” she said.
In Paris, American expats
gathered at one of Ernest
Hemingway’s favourite watering
Electoral College votes Needed to win: 270 holes as well as other bars.
Results as at 08:30 GMT Across town, proudly
Barack Obama DEMOCRAT wearing an Obama pin, Herve
John McCain REPUBLICAN Moussakanda loaded up his plate
Wisconsin 10 Michigan Massachusetts with cheese before sidling up to a
Minnesota 10
17
New Hampshire 4
12 big screen in a nightclub.
Washington “I just couldn’t miss this.
11 Pennsylvania Vermont Maine
North 21 3 4 This is historic. A dream come
Montana
3 Dakota West true,” he said, one of hundreds
Oregon 3
7
Virginia New of French blacks cheering the
5
Idaho
South York first African-American to win the
Dakota 31
4 Wyoming 3 White House.
Rhode
3 Island 4 In Afghanistan, where tens
Iowa D.C. 3
Nevada
Nebraska 7 Ohio of thousands of US soldiers are
5 Illinois Indiana
5 Utah 21 11
20 Connecticut7 still fighting Al-Qaeda remnants
5 Colorado Virginia and the Taliban, about 150
9 Kansas Missouri Kentucky 13 New Jersey 15 Americans, Afghans and US
California 6 11 8
55
embassy staff watched the results
Delaware 3
Oklahoma
Tennessee at the upmarket Serena hotel
Arizona New 11
10 Mexico
7 Arkansas Maryland 10 – targeted by bombers in January.
6
5 North Carolina 15 Rafaat, an Afghan who runs
Georgia
Hawaii 15 a finance company and spends
4 Texas South Carolina 8 much of his time in the United
34 States, said Obama would be a
welcome change from President
Alabama
9 Florida 27 George W. Bush.
Louisiana 9 Mississippi 6 “This is a good news for
Alaska 3 States yet America and for Afghanistan,” he
to declare © GRAPHIC NEWS said. – AFP