2006 U.S. Congressional Elections

November 8, 2006



As of 10:00 p.m EST November 8, 2006, the Democratic Party is projected to have gained control of both the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate in the. MSNBC projects that the Democrats now control 234 seats in the House of Representatives, 16 more seats than the 218 needed to control the House of Representatives as all 435 seats were up for election. In the Senate, where the balance of power is closer, one-third of all seats were up for grab. As of 10:00 p.m. EST, AP and Reuters were projecting that the Democrats had picked up all six seats they needed to retake the Senate, including the seats of incumbents Rick Santorum (Penn.), Lincoln Chafee (R.I.), Jim Talent (Missouri), Mike DeWine (Ohio), (Montana), and Jim Webb (VA). The Tester victory by less than 3,000 votes was projected at approximately 2 p.m. EST after the State of Montana announced the results of overnight recounts. Democrat Jim Webb has prevailed in that race by slightly more than 7,000 votes, though his opponent has not conceded and a recount may still occur.

Issues
Although the Bush Administration's policy on Iraq was seen as a major issue by voters, exit polls indicated that corruption was of greater concern. Republicans found themselves plagued by a series of scandals in recent months, ranging from the Jack Abramoff corruption scandal to revelations about sexual improprieties involving well-known Republicans, including Congressman Mark Foley and White House confidant Ted Haggard. Many conservative evangelical Christians, the GOP's most reliable voting block, have become disappointed by the scandals and may not vote in great numbers. Pat Buchanan, whose campaigns have often appealed to that voting block, told ABC News, "There's the spending orgy, the arrogance of power . . . . The war in Iraq, failure to protect our border, hurting the working class in Ohio, for example, the list goes on and on. We're more dissatisfied with the Republican Party than we've ever been."

Voter turnout was also influenced by a number of initiatives on state ballots. Michigan's Proposal 2 would outlaw affirmative action in virtually all government programs. Oklahoma voters were slated to decide if stores could sell alcohol on election days. In South Dakota, voters were asked if the state should make marijuana use legal for therapeutic purposes. Many states included initiatives related to eminent domain powers, same-sex marriage, and taxes. In California, voters faced a whopping 36 initiatives. Voters energized by initiatives were more likely to show up at the polls, and more likely to vote for candidates from their party.

Campaigns turn nasty
Several races turned nasty in the closing days of the campaign, with candidates from both parties turning up the heat on their opponents and accusing their rivals of dirty tricks. MSNBC reported that the FBI was investigating calls made to voters in Virginia in an apparent attempt to intimidate and confuse voters. This follows a similar investigation in California, where staff in Republican Congressional candidate Tan D. Nguyen's campaign office sent letters to Latino voters telling them that "You are advised that if your residence in this country is illegal or you are an immigrant, voting in a federal election is a crime that could result in jail time." Naturalized citizens are allowed to vote in elections.

Candidates in both New York and Michigan reported that automated telephone calls had been made to voters in the dead of night, purporting to be from their campaigns. The candidates said their campaigns had nothing to do with the calls, and had been made fraudulently in an attempt to make voters angry at them.

It was unclear whether these calls were related to other calls, financed by the National Republican Congressional Committee, that had been made to voters in several states in the previous week. Those calls had generated complaints by voters from both parties who said they were repeated several times in the same day. In at least one state, the calls were pulled when the attorney general notified the NRCC that the calls violated state law.

A different kind of "robocall" was reported in Iowa, where three Democratic candidates for the state House reported that they had been the target of anonymous attack ad calls. The calls inaccurately claimed that the candidates support free health care and college tuition for illegal aliens.

The New Jersey Attorney General's office sent deputies to polling places after Republicans reported possible fraud. The deputies reportedly found no problems.

The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund photographed armed men attempting to prevent Hispanic voters from entering polling places in Tucson. The photographs and reports of the incidents were sent to the FBI.

Polling Problems
Problems with voting devices, both electronic and manual, required some polling places to remain open later than scheduled. Electronic devices were being used for the first time in about a third of the states.

Air America Radio reported that electronic voting machines in Delaware County, Indiana and Cleveland, Ohio malfunctioned, frustrating voters and election workers. A report published on the USA Today website said election workers in some parts of Florida had resorted to using paper ballots when their electronic voting machines failed to work. National Public Radio reported that some electronic voting machines in Texas had to be turned off when they improperly gave votes to candidates not selected by voters. Problems were also reported in Maine, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.

A voting problem of a different type was reported in Kentucky. A Louisville poll worker is alleged to have physically assaulted a voter. Jefferson County clerk spokesperson Paula McCraney said that the voter wanted to press charges after being allegedly choked and pushed by the election worker. No information was available on what led to the incident.

Summaries by state
Those marked * are incumbent in the 109th Congress; those marked † served in the House in the 109th Congress; those marked ‡ served in a previous Congress. Number which precedes name of candidate designates Congressional District.