(Dec, 16, 2008) The 2008 election certainly made for some great theater – and will have serious policy consequences for years to come. Just to (almost) wrap it up, here is the latest information on the results of the election:
- President-Elect Barack Obama defeated Senator John McCain by a significant margin. He carried the Electoral College 365 to 173; he won the popular vote by 8.5 million votes (67.1 million to 58.5 million), which computes to a 53 percent to 46 percent victory.
- In the House of Representatives, the current numbers show the Democrats with 257 seats and the Republicans with 178 seats.
- In the Senate, the Democrats gained seven seats to bring their current majority to 58 to 41 over the Republicans, with the Minnesota Senate race still embroiled in a recount. At the time of this writing, Republican incumbent Norm Coleman is ahead of Democratic challenger Al Franken by 303 votes out of 2.9 million, with 200,000 ballots still to be recounted.
As the final details of these tight races are resolved, they will not change the fundamental impact as discussed last month:
- The new group of Senate and House Republicans may be more conservative, more confrontational, and less amenable to compromise.
- House Republicans have “fired” two of their top three leaders, with Minority Leader John Boehner surviving a challenge.
- Senator Ted Kennedy is giving every indication of returning to health and to the chairmanship of the Health Committee in the Senate, but House Democrats ousted Energy and Commerce Committee Chair John Dingell, opting instead for the more progressive Henry Waxman of California.
All of these developments will have implications for policy in 2009 and beyond in such areas as health care reform, health research and services appropriations, education funding and policy, and more.
See other In Congress information.