Roundup: Democrats, Republicans in Tight Race for US Congress

Home>>World

Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, November 05, 2002

Roundup: Democrats, Republicans in Tight Race for US Congress

US Republican and Democratic leaders canvassed the country on Monday, stumping for candidates in close races and hoping to sway undecided voters in Tuesday's midterm elections.

DISCUSSION

CHINESE

SEND TO FRIEND

US Republican and Democratic leaders canvassed the country on Monday, stumping for candidates in close races and hoping to sway undecided voters in Tuesday's midterm elections.

President George W. Bush Monday spent a fifth day of nearly non-stop campaigning in 11th- hour visits to four states -- Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, and Texas, urging the Republican Party faithful to get out and vote Tuesday.

At a rally in the St. Louis suburbs, Bush hoped Republican Senate candidate Jim Talent would unseat incumbent Democrat Jean Carnahan in Missouri.

"For the good of Missouri and for the good of America, Jim Talent is the man for the Senate," he said.

Carnahan's seat is considered one of the Democrats' most vulnerable in the elections, because she was appointed to fill the seat her husband, Governor Mel Carnahan, won posthumously in 2000.

With the Senate currently split 49-49 between Democrats and Republicans, with one independent and one vacant, a handful of close races could determine the balance of power in that chamber.

All 435 House of Representative seats, 34 of the 100 Senate seats and 36 state governor posts are up for grabs in the midterm elections. Defeat for the Republicans would hinder Bush's policy agenda and could harm his presidential re-election campaign in 2004.

Republicans are defending 20 of the 34 seats in the elections. Senate races in Minnesota, Colorado, Missouri, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Georgia, Arkansas and North Carolina are extremely close, late polls indicate.

Political observers say that the Republicans would have to win three of four tossup races in Colorado, New Hampshire, South Dakota and Louisiana to emerge with 50 seats and allow Vice President Dick Cheney's tie-breaking vote to prevail.

The Republicans have 223 seats in the House of Representatives, against the 208 seats for the Democrats. One seat is independent and three seats are vacant.

On the Democrats' side, former Vice President Al Gore campaigned in Florida on Monday for Democratic gubernatorial nominee Bill McBride, who is trying to unseat Governor Jeb Bush, the president's brother. And former President Bill Clinton was in Connecticut on behalf of Democratic gubernatorial challenger Bill Curry, running against Republican Governor John Rowland.

Democrats are trying to focus on the slumping economy in order to retain their grip on the Senate and regain the House, while Republicans are counting on voters worried about the nation's security.

The Democratic Party needs to gain seven seats to win back control of the House, but the road to that goal has been looking steeper as Election Day nears, analysts say.

Bush's top advisers even predicted the Republican Party will buck a historic trend and gain some seats. Since Abraham Lincoln was president, the party holding the White House has lost seats atevery midterm election except three -- 1902, 1934 and 1998.

The economy and other domestic issues are dominating voter concerns in the days leading up to Tuesday's elections, but that does not appear to be giving Democrats the boost they had predicted, according to late polls.

When voters were asked which issues were most important in deciding their votes for Congress, economic issues, such as the recession, jobs, taxes and the budget deficit, were twice as likely to be named as were foreign policy issues, such as Iraq, terrorism and national security, said a poll released on Sunday bythe Pew Research Center for the People & the Press.

Questions?Comments? Click here

China to Launch Fourth Unmanned Spacecraft ( 5 Messages)

Traditional Chinese Medicine Grabs World Attention ( 3 Messages)

Lured by Black Gold-Oil-- under Anti-Terrorism Banner ( 31 Messages)

China to Further Open Aviation, Aerospace Industries ( 2 Messages)

Foreigners Enjoy Fair Treatment, Prices as China Opens Up ( 3 Messages)