Historic House Win for the GOP

The midterm elections of 2010 resulted in a historic win for the GOP in which they gained a majority in the House of Representatives.

The Republicans needed 39 seats to win back the House and pending any recount votes it appears they won 64 seats or more, with the count not complete 2-days after the election.

The GOP will reclaim their majority status when the new 112th United States Congress convenes in January 2011 following the 2010 midterm elections.

Note: not all historic gains resulted in a majority representation for that Party.

Most presidents lose seats during the midterms, but the Democrats lost the most seats ofany midterm since 1938 when the Republicans gained 81 seats in the House of Representatives; 72 seats from the Democrats and other seats from Progressive and Farmer-Labor Parties.

The U.S. House election of 1946, in the middle of Harry Truman's first term, resulted in a Republican majority, with the Republicans picking up 55 seats.

The U.S. House election of 1994, in the middle of Bill Clinton's first term, resulted in a majority of seats for the Republicans for the first time since 1954, with the GOP winning 54 seats.

Prior to the '94 election, the Democratic Party had run the House for all but six of the preceding 62 years. In 1994 the GOP united behind Newt Gingrich's Contract with America and took back the House.

In the middle of George Bush's first term, during the House election of 2002, the GOP gained 8 seats maintaining their majority. Such gains only occurred three other times during midterm elections; in 1902, 1934, and in 1998, which was Bill Clinton's second term and the gain did not result in a majority for the Democrats.

Following the 2006 elections, Democrats took control of the House as well as the Senate. In the 2008 elections, which coincided with Barack Obama's victory, Democrats increased their majorities in both chambers.

The 1994 defeat handed to the Democrats saw a conciliatory President Clinton, who moved to the center. Bill Clinton's adjustments paid off in dividends, winning a second term and wresting a surprise 5 seats from the GOP.

Despite the 5 seat gain by the Democrats in 1998 the GOP maintained a slight majority but was devastated and saw Republican Speaker Newt Gingrich resign.

Questions remain as to what Barack Obama will do. Will the current president, a committed leftist, follow Bill Clinton's lead and move to the center, a platform which many thought he campaigned on?

The GOP cannot rest on its laurels expecting the electorate to vote their way in 2012; the White House is not a given.

One thing for sure is empty rhetoric will not have the same results it had in 2008, Barack Obama needs to produce results rather than big government products. The folks are looking for jobs and policies that are friendly to the economy; and the American people are stirring.

The 2010 United States House of Representatives elections were held on November 2, 2010, halfway through President Barack Obama's first term in office resulting in a Republican majority of historic proportions.

Sources: embedded in content.