Minorities Ride Republican Wave to Historic Wins

The historic Republican wave also produced historic results for minority candidates, from Latina and Indian-American governors to a pair of black congressmen from the deep South.

In New Mexico, Susana Martinez was elected as the nation's first female Hispanic governor. Nikki Haley, whose parents were born in India, will be the first woman governor in South Carolina, and Brian Sandoval became Nevada's first Hispanic governor.

Insurance company owner Tim Scott will be the first black Republican congressman from South Carolina since the post-Civil War Reconstruction Era in the 1860s-1870s, after easily winning in his conservative district. Scott, a 45-year-old state representative, earned a Republican primary victory over the son of the one-time segregationist U.S. Sen. Strom Thurmond.

In Florida, military veteran Allen West outfought a two-term Democrat to win his House race. He is the first black Republican elected to Congress from Florida since a former slave served two terms in the 1870s.

The last black Republican in Congress was J.C. Watts of Oklahoma. He left office in 2003. There were 42 black Democrats in Congress this term.

Several Latino Republicans defeated incumbent House Democrats. In Texas, Bill Flores snatched a seat from Democratic Rep. Chet Edwards, who had served 20 years in Congress, and Francisco Canseco beat 11-year veteran Ciro Rodriguez. Jamie Herrera became the first Latino congressman from Washington state.

Opposition to President Barack Obama's agenda fueled Tuesday's Republican surge, and many also connected Obama to the rise of minority Republican candidates.

"Color is becoming less of an issue," said Richard Ivory, a black Republican political consultant and founder of hiphoprepublican.com. "There was a time when the white electorate saw race first and made judgments based on this alone. While black Republicans and Obama disagree ideologically, both are candidates whose message surpassed pigment."

Mark Sawyer, a UCLA professor and director of the university's Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity and Politics, said Obama's election pushed the Republicans to adjust to a more diverse electorate by seeking out minority candidates.

But he noted that almost all the victorious Republican minorities were elected in majority-white areas and opposed measures such as comprehensive immigration reform that are favored by many Latinos and blacks.

"This election does not show a substantive embrace of a minority agenda," Sawyer said.

Fourteen black Republicans were on House ballots nationwide, almost double the number in 2008. The largest number of black Republicans in Congress since Reconstruction has been two: Watts and Gary Franks of Connecticut, who left office in 1997.

On the Democratic side, Terri Sewell became the first black woman elected to Congress in Alabama.

Haley, who was backed by the tea party and Sarah Palin, is a 38-year-old state representative who was projected to win easily in conservative South Carolina. She faced unproven accusations of infidelity and questions about her finances and experience, and State Sen. Vincent Sheheen made the race closer than anyone expected. She is the nation's second Indian-American governor, after Bobby Jindal in Louisiana.

Marco Rubio, a Republican and Cuban-American, won a Senate seat in Florida. He will replace the retiring Mel Martinez, another conservative Cuban. Also in Florida, Rubio ally David Rivera, a state representative, held off a fellow Cuban-American, Democrat Joe Garcia, a former Obama administration energy official, for an open House seat.

Jean Howard-Hill, a black Republican who lost a House primary in Tennessee, was cautiously optimistic about the future of minorities in her party.

"We're going to jump up and down because we have two African-Americans going to Congress?" she said. "There are still opportunities for advancement. But I think we have a good platform to do that now."

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Republicans Make Historic Gains in State Legislatures, Pick Up Hundreds of Seats

Republicans matched their historic victories in Congress with a sweep of state legislative chambers across the country Tuesday, a feat which will have considerable bearing on the next election. 

The GOP picked up at least 19 chambers and hundreds of seats, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures -- though the tally is not final and Republican recruitment arm GOPAC pegs the party's chamber pickups at about 23. In several states, Republicans took control of both chambers and the governor's seat. 

Though the taking of the U.S. House of Representatives overshadowed the victories for the Republican Party on the state level, the state legislatures take on outsized importance ahead of the 2012 cycle. State governments are responsible for redrawing the congressional districts in accordance with the results of the 2010 Census, and the GOP now has a much stronger voice in that process. 

"It is truly historic that we could flip that many legislative chambers in one off-year election," GOPAC Chairman Frank Donatelli told FoxNews.com. "It's broad, it's deep and it's across the entire country." 

The party picked up 20 chambers in the 1994 election and with the balance of power still unclear in several states, the GOP could surpass that performance in 2010. 

The state-level GOP wave could help their congressional counterparts build a bigger majority in the next cycle. Donatelli noted that it also gives Republicans an immediate chance to push their agenda while the U.S. Congress potentially falls prey to political deadlock. 

"We can now begin the reform process in a lot of these states right now. We don't have to wait for 2012 to happen," he said. 

Overall, more than 6,100 state legislative seats were up for grabs in 46 states. Republican state legislative candidates made a net gain of more than 500 seats on Tuesday, giving them more seats than at any time since 1928, according to the NCSL. 

In several states, the party took total control of one or two branches of government. 

The GOP took back both chambers in Alabama, North Carolina, Minnesota, Maine, New Hampshire and Wisconsin. They also took control of the state legislatures in Indiana, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Ohio by winning the House -- they already held the Senate in those states. 

To boot, former GOP Rep. John Kasich ousted Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland in Ohio. Republican Tom Corbett also took the Pennsylvania gubernatorial seat back from the Democrats, as did Republican Rick Snyder in Michigan. Republican governors will be in place in Alabama, Maine and Wisconsin as well. 

Since redistricting is often subject to a veto by the governor, single-party control of government is ideal for Republicans trying to shape the districts to their liking. 

In New York, Republicans were seeking to take back the state Senate, but it was still too close to call. 

More chambers were expected to fall from the Democrats, as voters registered their disenchantment with an anemic economy, high unemployment and an overall gloomy national mood leading up to the midterm elections. 

Michael Sargeant, director of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, said Democratic state candidates should be proud of the "hard-fought campaigns" they waged in a year when the tide was surging against them. 

"During a national recession, Democratic legislative majorities have worked hard to reverse the damage their states have suffered from national Republican policies. Democrats didn't back away from tough decisions, and their efforts to create and save jobs while balancing state budgets rarely received support from their Republican colleagues," he said in a statement. "In tough times Democratic legislators provided the steady leadership and made the wise investments needed to move their states forward." 

A bright spot for Democrats was in Illinois, President Obama's home state. The GOP had the Illinois House on its target list, but Democrats were able to fend off Republicans to retain control of both the House and Senate. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Pelosi’s Political Future Clouded by Historic Losses for Dems

After Republicans dismantled the Democratic majority in the House on Tuesday, Democrats must decide whether to re-elect Nancy Pelosi as the top Democrat once party takes its new minority position -- and she must decide whether even to seek that role.

During the campaign, several Democrats said they wouldn't support the California liberal for leader or declined to commit to Pelosi for a third term if their party were to hold onto a slim majority, as their internal polling showed that her high negative rating were an albatross.

Pelosi, when asked if she asked if she would stick around in leadership, said, "I'll let you know," as she boarded an elevator.

With the loss of so many key chairmen and moderate Democrats in Tuesday's GOP onslaught, the Democratic leadership will face considerable upheaval.

Among those Democratic leaders and long-serving lawmakers were Reps. Ike Skelton of Missouri, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee; 11-term moderate Gene Taylor of Mississippi, who pledged to repeal health care and said he wanted someone like Skelton to be leader; and 10-termer Chet Edwards of Texas. Other key losses included Reps. John Spratt, chairman of the House Budget Committee, Jim Oberstar, chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and six-termer Ciro Rodriguez.

In all, Republicans picked up at least 60 House seats and were poised to gain a few more -- far more than what was needed for a majority and the biggest party turnover in more than 70 years.

But now that they have lost control of the House, the decidedly more liberal caucus has to decide how it wants to be led. If Pelosi decides to step down, or if lawmakers decide to remove her from the top of the food chain, it could touch off a leadership grab that may give Rep. Steny Hoyer, the present majority leader, a greater role. Or it could make way for another brand of leadership.

In the wake of the losses Tuesday night, Pelosi reflected on the Democrats' accomplishments in the majority and looked ahead to a new era of cooperation without indicating her plans.

"The outcome of the election does not diminish the work we have done for the American people," she said. "We must all strive to find common ground to support the middle class, create jobs, reduce the deficit and move our nation forward."

Some analysts say Pelosi and possibly other leaders will retire in the face of the huge losses and rebellion from some members. But several aides to Democratic leaders told FoxNews.com that she is taking time to consider her next move. Still others said the Democratic leadership has no intention of leaving.

Kristie Greco, a spokesman for House Majority Whip James Clyburn, said her boss plans to run for a leadership position in the next Congress but is "uncertain" about which one at this point because it is not clear what the other leaders will do.

Greco added that she did not know what the other leaders were going to do or what the agenda would be in the next Congress.

"We suffered a lot of losses last night and we need to reassess and regroup," she said.

Pelosi spokesman Nadeam Elshami said Wednesday that Pelosi has been talking to members of her family and caucus.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen, head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, offered a platitude Wednesday for the way forward for Democrats.

"House Democrats are committed to moving forward to create jobs for all Americans, strengthen the middle class, lower the deficit, and stand up for working Americans against the special interests," he said in a written statement.

Van Hollen also refused to accept any blame for the carnage suffered by Democrats.

"Last night's election was a perfect political storm born out of the understandable frustration felt by the American people in response to high unemployment caused by the worst financial crash since the Great Depression," he said. "The record amount of secret money spend by right-wing outside groups turned this political storm into a category 3 hurricane."

On the Republican side, victory spelled clarity: Rep. John Boehner of Ohio is expected to become the next speaker of the House while Rep. Eric Cantor of Virginia will be majority leader and Rep. Kevin McCarty of California will become majority whip.

Indiana Republican Rep. Mike Pence, who has not said publicly but is widely expected to make a bid for a gubernatorial or presidential post, has opted not to seek re-election as chairman of the House Republican Conference, the No. 4 post in the House. That likelihood opened the door for Rep. Jeb Hensarling of Texas to declare his candidacy, as has Rep. Michele Bachmann, a Tea Party champion. Washington Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers has said she will seek to retain her post as vice chairwoman of the House Republican Conference. 

Cantor has already started reaching out to colleagues to make known his intention to stand for House majority leader by releasing a letter and governing document that promised all efforts would address job creation and the economy, shrinking the size of government while expanding liberty. The post would also give him the distinction of becoming the highest ranking Jewish member ever to serve in the House.

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Republicans Capture House in Historic Wave, Claim 'Mandate' to Shrink Government

Republicans thundered into the majority in the House of Representatives Tuesday night, making historic gains by a proportion not seen in more than 70 years. 

The party so far has won more than 60 seats, with about 65 net gains projected by the time all ballots are counted -- far more than the party needed to seize the majority. Democrats, with the help of a victory by Majority Leader Harry Reid, held the Senate by a narrow margin but suffered several big losses in an election that just about put Republicans on equal footing with the president's party. 

House Republican Leader John Boehner, speaking briefly to reporters Wednesday morning alongside his deputy, Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va., claimed a "mandate" to cut the size of government and urged President Obama to respect the will of the voters and "change course." 

He said the American people want a climate that will promote job growth as well as a more accountable, smaller federal government. He also said his party needs to "lay the groundwork" for repealing the "monstrosity" health care law, with the eventual goal of replacing it -- an unlikely prospect as long as Obama is in the White House. 

"It's pretty clear that the Obama-Pelosi agenda's being rejected by the American people," Boehner said. "I think it's a mandate for Washington to reduce the size of government." 

Obama said at a press conference Wednesday that he wants to reach "consensus" with Republicans, calling for both parties to reach "common ground." He chalked up his party's losses to frustration over the economy. 

In House races from Florida to Virginia to Indiana to Texas Tuesday night, voters were sending a rebuke to the party in power by electing Republicans over Democratic incumbents. Seniority did not seem to matter. Longtime representatives were falling just as hard as freshmen, succumbing to campaigns -- many of them backed by the Tea Party movement -- that tied them to unpopular federal policies and proposals. 

The GOP gains would exceed those made during the Republican wave of 1994 when the party picked up 54 House seats. Not since 1938 has the party made such monumental inroads. With 218 seats needed for a majority, Republicans so far have officially won 239, while Democrats have won 185. 

Though unable to reach a majority in the Senate, Republicans have so far picked up six seats from Democrats and held down a number of others -- giving little ground as they shoot for a stronger foothold in the upper chamber. In a symbolic victory, GOP Rep. Mark Kirk beat Alexi Giannoulias for Obama's old Senate seat in Illinois after a hard-fought race. Conservative Pat Toomey narrowly defeated Democratic Rep. Joe Sestak, taking over for party-switching Sen. Arlen Specter. And three-term Sen. Russ Feingold was the latest incumbent Democrat to go down, losing his race for reelection in Wisconsin to Tea Party-backed businessman Ron Johnson. 

"What we're sensing tonight is a huge case of buyer's remorse all across America," Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell told supporters Tuesday night, describing the GOP gains as a rejection of the spending and "Washington takeovers" coming out of the federal government. 

In North Dakota, Republican John Hoeven beat Tracy Potter for the seat held by outgoing Democratic Sen. Byron Dorgan. In Arkansas, GOP Rep. John Boozman trounced Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln, denying her a third term in Congress. Lincoln's vote for the president's health care overhaul was considered a turning point for the senator's popularity. Former Sen. Dan Coats in Indiana scored the first GOP Senate pick-up of the night, beating Democratic Rep. Brad Ellsworth for the seat left by retiring Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh. 

But Democrats held onto a handful of key seats, most importantly Nevada. Reid campaigned hard to retain his seat, with supporters casting Tea Party favorite Sharron Angle as dangerous and unfit to serve. Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer was also able to fend off a stiff challenge from Republican Carly Fiorina in California. 

The party scored three victories for open seats. In West Virginia, Democratic Gov. Joe Manchin beat John Raese despite an aggressive campaign by the Republican to portray Manchin as a buddy to Washington Democrats and particularly Obama. In Delaware, Chris Coons beat Tea Party-backed Senate candidate Christine O'Donnell; in Connecticut, popular Attorney General Dick Blumenthal beat professional wrestling mogul Linda McMahon. All those open seats were previously held by longtime Democratic lawmakers. The Delaware seat used to be held by Vice President Biden, the Connecticut seat held by longtime lawmaker Chris Dodd and the West Virginia seat held by the late Robert Byrd. 

Republicans also won open Senate seats in Florida, Utah, Kansas, Missouri, New Hampshire, Kentucky and Ohio. Those open seats were already held by Republicans, so the GOP wins there did not affect the balance of power. 

The Senate races in Washington, Alaska and Colorado are still too close to call. Republicans so far have claimed 46 Senate seats to Democrats' 49. Two independents vote with Democrats.

Among the slew of House victories, Republican Dan Webster defeated outspoken liberal Rep. Alan Grayson in Florida's 8th District, Republican Allen West beat Rep. Ron Klein in Florida's 22nd District and Republican Sandra Adams picked up a Democratic seat in Florida's 24th District. Tea Party-backed Kristi Noem ousted Democratic Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin in South Dakota. Republican Bill Flores beat moderate Democratic Rep. Chet Edwards in Texas' 17th District. Republican Lou Barletta, a strident foe of illegal immigration, beat longtime incumbent Rep. Paul Kanjorski in Pennsylvania's 11th District. Longtime Democratic Rep. Ike Skelton, a committee chairman, was also defeated in Missouri. 

So-called purple states like Virginia followed a Republican trend on Tuesday. Republican Robert Hurt took Virginia's 5th District, defeating Rep. Tom Perriello who boldly campaigned with the president; Republican Scott Rigell defeated Virginia Democratic Rep. Glenn Nye in District 2. Democratic Rep. Frank Kratovil also lost in Maryland's District 1, while Democratic Rep. Zack Space lost in Ohio's District 18. Republican Larry Bucshon picked up Rep. Brad Ellsworth's Democratic seat in Indiana, where Democratic Rep. Baron Hill was also defeated by a wide margin. 

On the other side, Democrat John Carney picked up the Republican House seat in Delaware formerly held by Rep. Mike Castle, who ran unsuccessfully for Senate. GOP Rep. Joseph Cao lost to Democrat Cedric Richmond in Louisiana. Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Barney Frank held his seat against upstart Sean Bielat. 

 • RESULTS MAP: Explore the current party divide, and the polling numbers for the closest races
• TRACK KEY RACES: Track and follow up to 10 races. 
• CANDIDATE LIST: All you need to know about the candidates

With the strength of the Tea Party movement at their backs, GOP candidates were confident the enthusiasm of their supporters would help propel them to historic pickups in Congress and give them the leverage to put a check on the Obama administration's policies. 

Though Democrats barnstormed into Congress in huge numbers over the past two cycles -- helped in no small part by Obama's historic presidential run in 2008 -- frustration over the economy and far-reaching legislation passed under the current administration fueled a crop of candidates vowing to bring a renewed model of small-government conservatism to Washington. 

The most visible and vocal driver of that political breed has been the Tea Party, which aggravated several GOP primary contests by backing non-establishment candidates who, in many cases, won. A handful of those nominees lost on the Senate side Tuesday, opening the movement up to criticism that more tested candidates could have put the party over the edge. But the energy from the Tea Partiers was an undeniable factor in getting Republicans out to the polls. 

Republican Rand Paul heralded his victory in the Kentucky Senate race Tuesday as a sign of the Tea Party's vigor. 

"We've come to take our government back," he declared in his victory speech. "Tonight there's a Tea Party tidal wave and we're sending a message to them." 

A number of incumbents in both parties coasted to election, avoiding the upheaval that marked so many races. Vermont Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy easily won his reelection race, as did South Carolina Republican Sen. Jim DeMint, who faced off against Democrat Alvin Greene, an unemployed unknown who won his party's primary without campaigning. 

Veteran Democratic Maryland Sen. Barbara Mikulski, Democratic Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, Democratic Hawaii Sen. Daniel Inouye and Democratic New York Sen. Charles Schumer won their reelection races. On the Republican side, victories were sealed by Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby, Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn, Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, Arizona Sen. John McCain. North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr, Louisiana Sen. David Vitter, South Dakota Sen. John Thune, Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo and Georgia Sen. Johnny Isakson. 

Freshman Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., also won her race to complete the term vacated by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton -- she will have to run again in 2012. 

Thirty-seven governor's seats were also on the line Tuesday, with Republicans taking the majority of them. 

Republicans scored a big pickup in Ohio as John Kasich beat Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland, an enthusiastic Obama ally whom the president tried to save. Republicans also notched a gain in Tennessee with a victory by Bill Haslam and again in Iowa with a win by Terry Branstad. Republican Tom Corbett seized a Democratic seat in the Pennsylvania governor's race as did Scott Walker in Wisconsin. And Republican Nikki Haley won the race for governor in South Carolina, weathering allegations of affairs which posed a distraction in the race. 

In California, former Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown will return to his old job after beating former eBay executive Meg Whitman. New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo will keep his state's governor's seat in Democratic hands, beating Republican Carl Paladino. Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper won the Colorado gubernatorial race for the Democrats, beating Republican Dan Maes as well as insurgent third-party candidate Tom Tancredo. Democrat Deval Patrick won another term in Massachusetts, as did Gov. Martin O'Malley in Maryland, where ex-Gov. Robert Ehrlich tried to mount a comeback.

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Historic Oahu military bases now a joint base

Published October 01, 2010

| Associated Press

HONOLULU –  Two historic Oahu military bases have formally merged.

Naval Base Pearl Harbor and Hickam Air Force Base became one installation Friday.

They're among 26 installations across the country that are combining to become 12 joint bases as the military strives to become more efficient.

Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam commander Capt. Richard Kitchens says it's a challenge to bring 1,100 civilian Air Force employees to the Navy's human resources system. But he says officials are anticipating and addressing potential problems.

Pearl Harbor and Hickam have been close but distant neighbors for decades. They're right next to each other on Oahu's southern edge, but each has its own school, golf course, bowling alley, church and other facilities.

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