Voter Discontent Fuels Shake-Up In Political Order
The health law was one of several key issues on voters' minds as they made decisions Tuesday.
ABC News:
A Fresh Blast Of Discontent Reshapes The Political Order
A fresh blast of public discontent reshaped American politics yet again in the 2014 midterm elections, handing the Republican Party control of the Senate and its largest house majority in 86 years. Its source: Seemingly unending economic woe – and the political discord it fuels. ... Still, as they celebrate their showing, the Republican Party’s leadership may also contemplate the following results – among the selfsame electorate that boosted them so high: ... While 48 percent said Obamacare went too far, 46 percent said it didn’t go far enough, or has it about right. (Langer, 11/5)
CBS News:
2014 Midterm Elections: Why Republicans May Have Had An Edge
Overall, the Republicans' advantages abounded. Concerns about terrorism, health care and the economy all provided them with a national vote edge. Among the nearly half of voters who said the health care law went too far, 83 percent supported Republican candidates. (McDermott and Feldman, 11/5)
Fox News:
Fox News Exit Poll: Dissatisfaction With Obama, Economy Keys GOP Wave
Dissatisfaction with President Obama, along with concern about the future of the economy and a sense the country is on the wrong track, contributed to a wave of Republican pickups, including Republican control of the U.S. Senate and additional gains in the U.S. House of Representatives. ... Health care voters went for the Democrat by 60-38 percent, while immigration voters backed the Republican by 73-25 percent. (Shiman, Campbell and Donahue, 11/5)
CNN:
New Superstars, New Villains And Other Takeaways From Midterm Election
The CNN exit poll showed that 45% of the electorate named the economy as the most important issue facing the country, followed by health care 25%, illegal immigration 14% and foreign policy 13%. (Preston, 11/5)
The Washington Post:
Battle For The Senate: How The GOP Did It
The tension represented something more fundamental than money — it was indicative of a wider resentment among Democrats in the Capitol of how the president was approaching the election and how, they felt, he was dragging them down. All year on the trail, Democratic incumbents would be pounded for administration blunders beyond their control — the disastrous rollout of the health-care law, problems at the Department of Veterans Affairs, undocumented children flooding across the border, Islamic State terrorism and fears about Ebola. As these issues festered, many Senate Democrats would put the onus squarely on the president — and they were keeping their distance from him. (Rucker and Costa, 11/4)
