A Republican tide ripped the Senate away from Democrats Tuesday , giving the GOP full control of Congress and the power to pin down President Barack Obama during his last two years in office . The thumping win upends the balance of power between the White House and Capitol Hill only six years after Obama 's Democrats swept to power and marginalized Republicans in a rush to reform health care , Wall Street and pass a huge stimulus package . Now , it 's Democrats who will take the back seat on Capitol Hill , relying mostly on the power of the filibuster to stymie Republicans and keep Obama 's legacy intact . `` For too long , this administration has tried to tell the American people what is good for them and then blame somebody else when their policies did n't work out , '' Mitch McConnell , who is expected to become the next Senate majority leader , said in a victory speech . In the House , CNN projected the GOP will have at least 246 seats , its largest majority since World War II . Speaker John Boehner , celebrating a widened majority , said he is `` humbled by the responsibility the American people have placed with us . '' `` But this is not a time for celebration , '' he said . `` It 's time for government to start getting results and implementing solutions to the challenges facing our country , starting with our still-struggling economy . Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid , who has controlled the Senate since 2007 , congratulated Republicans on their victory . `` The message from voters is clear : they want us to work together , '' Reid said . `` I look forward to working with Senator McConnell to get things done for the middle class . '' Obama will make a statement Wednesday afternoon on an election many will see as a repudiation of his presidency , and he will host bipartisan leaders Friday to try to chart a way forward . GOP governors win blue states Maryland , Massachusetts , Illinois . Democratic losses pile up . Democratic fears of a rout came true , as party candidates struggled to defend seats won in the 2008 Obama wave in conservative territory , and could n't get out from under an unpopular president limping through his second term . The losses in Colorado and Iowa will sting especially hard , as those two states enjoyed a fabled place in Obama 's world , as drivers of the president 's unlikely bid for the White House in 2008 . The GOP also piled up wins in Montana , South Dakota , Arkansas , West Virginia and North Carolina — all seats that had been in Democratic hands — to surpass their magic number of six net gains . With seats still to be decided in Virginia , Alaska and Louisiana -- where there will be a runoff in December -- the GOP currently has 52 seats in the Senate . Republican numbers stood up when the GOP managed to hold on to seats in Kansas and Georgia which had threatened to fall from their grasp and complicate the Senate math . It was a night of almost unrelenting misery for Democrats : . • In Iowa , Iraq war veteran Joni Ernst became the first woman elected to Congress from her state , after turning around her Republican campaign with an ad in which she boasted about castrating hogs . • In North Carolina , Democrat Kay Hagan was felled by Thom Tillis , who repeatedly pummeled her for standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Obama . • Arkansas Sen. Mark Pryor lost to Tom Cotton , who , like Ernst , is an Iraq war veteran . Pryor 's loss comes despite former president Bill Clinton 's efforts to save him in his beloved home state . • Democrats thought they had Colorado , with its mix of young voters , Hispanics and students locked down for a generation . But Sen. Mark Udall tumbled to charismatic challenger Cory Gardner who shook off claims he was anti-women . • Virginia Democratic Sen. Mark Warner is having a tougher ride than expected against Republican challenger Ed Gillespie in a state Democrats had thought was reliably theirs after Obama won it twice . A rare ray of hope for Democrats came in New Hampshire , where Sen. Jeanne Shaheen bested challenger Scott Brown . And Pennsylvania 's governor 's mansion reverted to Democrats when Tom Wolf unseated Republican Gov . Tom Corbett in a marquee race . New superstars , new villains and other takeaways . Governors . Two other Republican governors meanwhile won reelection and stirred buzz for their own 2016 White House prospects — John Kasich in swing state Ohio , and conservative Republican Scott Walker in Wisconsin . In New Mexico , Republican Gov . Susana Martinez , often mentioned as a possible GOP vice presidential pick , strolled to reelection . Maryland -- a traditionally Democratic state -- elected Republican Larry Hogan as governor . And Illinois , Obama 's home state , ousted its Democratic governor . Republicans will now look with some optimism on the 2016 presidential election . But Democrats will console themselves with a more favorable Senate map in two years ' time and the belief that shifting demographics and an unresolved war between the Republican grassroots and the party establishment will make the next presidential race a tough climb for the GOP . View the full results .
GOP wins Senate seats in Iowa , Colorado , Arkansas , S. Dakota , Montana , W. Virginia , N. Carolina . CNN projects GOP will keep the House and Senate . Mitch McConnell beat Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes in Kentucky . Obama to make a statement Wednesday afternoon .