United States of America
This article is part of the series: Politics and government of the United States The Great Seal of the United States, obverse side. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  US Government Portal      Politics of the United States takes place in a framework of a presidential...
Federal government
Constitution Taxation
President Vice President Cabinet This article describes the government of the United States. ... For other uses, see President of the United States (disambiguation). ... Seal of the office of the Vice-President of the United States The Vice President of the United States is the first in the presidential line of succession, becoming the new President of the United States upon the death, resignation, or removal of the President. ... Cabinet meeting on May 16, 2001. ...
Congress Senate President pro tem Party Leaders House Speaker Party Leaders Congressional districts
Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Type Bicameral Houses Senate House of Representatives President of the Senate President pro tempore Dick Cheney, (R) since January 20, 2001 Robert C. Byrd, (D) since January 4, 2007 Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, (D) since January 4, 2007 Members 535 plus 4 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner Political... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Politics Portal      The United States Senate is one of the two chambers of the bicameral United States Congress, the... Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia the current President pro tempore of the United States Senate. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures State Courts Counties, Cities, and Towns Other countries Politics Portal      The Senate Majority and Minority Leaders (also called Senate Floor Leaders) are two United States Senators... The United States House of Representatives (or simply the House) is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Counties, Cities, and Towns Other countries Politics Portal      The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives is the presiding officer of the... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures State Courts Counties, Cities, and Towns Other countries Politics Portal      Party leaders of the United States House of Representatives are elected by their respective parties in... Congressional districts for representation in the United States House of Representatives are determined after each census. ... The United States federal courts are the system of courts organized under the Constitution and laws of the federal government of the United States. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries  Atlas  Politics Portal      The Supreme Court of the United States (sometimes colloquially referred to by the acronym... The United States courts of appeals (or circuit courts) are the mid-level appellate courts of the United States federal court system. ... Map of the boundaries of the United States Courts of Appeals and United States District Courts The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. ...
Elections
Presidential elections Midterm elections
Political Parties
Democratic Republican Third parties
State & Local government
Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government
Other countries · Atlas  US Government Portal view • talk • edit

The 2006 United States midterm elections were held on Tuesday, November 7, 2006. All United States House of Representatives seats and one third of the United States Senate seats were contested in this election, as well as 36 state governorships, many state legislatures, four territorial legislatures and many state and local races. The election resulted in a sweeping victory for the Democratic Party which captured the House of Representatives, the Senate, and a majority of governorships and state legislatures from the Republican Party. Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countriesAtlas  Politics Portal      The United States has a federal government, with elected officials at federal (national), state and... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Counties, Cities, and Towns Other countries Politics Portal      United States presidential elections determine who serves as president and vice president of the United... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures State Courts Counties, Cities, and Towns Other countries Politics Portal      Midterm elections are elections in the United States in which members of Congress, state legislatures, and... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Politics Portal      This list of political parties in the United States contains past and present political parties in the... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      Further information: Politics of the United States#Organization of American political parties The Democratic... The Republican Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States of America, along with the Democratic Party. ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... A state government is the government of a subnational entity in nation-states with federal forms of government, which shares political power with the federal government or national government. ... Local governments are administrative offices that are smaller than a state or province. ... Current party control of Governors offices (2006). ... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures State Courts Counties, Cities, and Towns Other countries Politics Portal      In the United States of America, a state legislature is a generic term referring to the... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Counties, Cities, and Towns Other countries Politics Portal      All United States states are required to possess a legislative branch. ... In the U.S., a state court has jurisdiction over disputes which occur in a state. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Counties, Cities, and Towns Other countries Politics Portal      Local government in the United States (sometimes referred to as municipal government) is generally structured... Information on politics by country is available for every country, including both de jure and de facto independent states, inhabited dependent territories, as well as areas of special sovereignty. ... is the 311th day of the year (312th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The United States House of Representatives (or simply the House) is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Politics Portal      The United States Senate is one of the two chambers of the bicameral United States Congress, the... For other uses, see Governor (disambiguation). ... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures State Courts Counties, Cities, and Towns Other countries Politics Portal      In the United States of America, a state legislature is a generic term referring to the... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      Further information: Politics of the United States#Organization of American political parties The Democratic... The United States House of Representatives (or simply the House) is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. ... The United States Senate is the upper house of the U.S. Congress, smaller than the United States House of Representatives. ... The Republican Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States of America, along with the Democratic Party. ...

Background

In March 2003, President George W. Bush ordered an invasion of Iraq, a state, the American government claimed, whose government, lead by dictator Saddam Hussein, was linked to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and, more importantly, was producing weapons of mass destruction. That May, just two months after the initial invasion, Bush announced the end of major combat operations in Iraq. In the following months, insurgents began resisting the American occupation. Additionally, sectarian tensions between majority Shiite and minority Sunni Muslims, tensions which had been suppressed under the grip of the Hussein regime, began to result in violence. By the end of 2003, despite the war being initially popular, the post-war occupation was losing support from the American public. A November 2003 Gallup poll showed that Bush’s job approval rating had fallen to 50% from a high of 71% at the outset of the war. ^[1] March 2003 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December - → // Events March 1, 2003 Iraq disarmament crisis: The Turkish speaker of Parliament voids the vote accepting U.S. troops involved in the planned invasion of Iraq into Turkey on constitutional grounds. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States, inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti (28 April 1937 – 30 December 2006) was the fifth President of Iraq and Chairman of the Iraqi Revolutionary Command Council from 1979 until his overthrow by US forces in 2003. ... The World Trade Center on fire The September 11, 2001 attacks were a series of coordinated terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001. ... For the Xzibit album, see Weapons of Mass Destruction (album). ... President George W. Bush addresses sailors during the Mission Accomplished speech, May 1, 2003. ... Shi‘as (the adjective in Arabic is شيعى shi‘i; English has traditionally used Shiite) which mean follower in Arabic make up the second largest sect of believers in Islam, constituting about 30%-35% of all Muslim. ... Sunni Islam (Arabic سنّة) is the largest denomination of Islam. ... A Muslim is a believer in or follower of Islam. ... Occupation zones in Iraq as of September 2003 The post-invasion period in Iraq followed the 2003 invasion of Iraq by a multinational coalition led by the United States, which overthrew the Baath Party government of Saddam Hussein. ...

The next year, Bush won a narrow reelection over Democratic nominee John Kerry with less than 51% of the popular vote and 286 electoral votes (only 16 votes ahead of the 270 votes needed.), the smallest winning margin ever for an incumbent president since Woodrow Wilson in the 1916 Presidential Election. It was, however, the first time since 1988 that a winner garnered a popular majority. Terrorism and the war in Iraq dominated the election, with domestic issues taking a secondary role. Bush began his second term with a continuation of the occupation and a push to overhaul Social Security with his privatization plan. Both policies proved unpopular, and violence in Iraq continued to increase. Compounding the unpopularity of the war was the fact that no weapons of mass destruction were ever found and claims that Saddam Hussein was linked to 9/11 were mostly debunked. August 2005 was the last time any major public opinion poll recorded majority approval of Bush’s job. [1] Negative perceptions of Bush following the slow governmental response to Hurricane Katrina plus the rather weak economy further weighed on his popularity. Presidential electoral votes by state. ... The United States Electoral College is the electoral college which chooses the President and Vice President of the United States at the conclusion of each Presidential election. ... Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856–February 3, 1924), was the twenty-eighth President of the United States. ... The United States presidential election of 1916 took place while Europe was embroiled in World War I. Public sentiment in the still neutral United States leaned towards the British and French (allied) forces, due to the harsh treatment of civilians by the German Army, which had invaded and occupied large... This article is about the Atlantic hurricane of 2005. ...

Simultaneously, the Republican-controlled 109th congress’s popularity was declining as well. Both Bush’s and the congress’s involvement in the Terri Schiavo controversy in March 2005 were highly unpopular. A series of congressional scandals also rocked Washington D.C., most notably the ongoing Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal, as well as the Mark Foley scandal and the Cunningham scandal, both in October 2006. Additionally, the congress had a smaller than average list of major accomplishments and was not in session for a larger than average amount of days, allowing Democrats and others to characterize it as a “Do-Nothing” congress and blame the Republican leadership for the lack of progress. United States Capitol (2002) // The One Hundred Ninth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, comprised of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. ... Theresa Marie Terri Schiavo (December 3, 1963 – March 31, 2005), from St. ... The Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal is a United States political scandal relating to the work performed by political lobbyists Jack Abramoff, Ralph E. Reed, Jr. ... Mark Foley The Mark Foley scandal, which broke in late September 2006, centers on sexually explicit and solicitative e-mails and instant messages sent by Mark Foley, a Republican Congressman from Florida, to congressional pages and former pages. ... The Cunningham Scandal is a US political scandal in which defense contractors paid bribes to members of Congress, and officials in the US Defense Department, in return for political favors in the form of federal contracts. ...

Another complaint associated with the 109th Congress was that it had very little resistance enacting legislation which was not authorized by the US Constitution, such as renewal of the Patriot Act. Constitutionally, Congress is the highest power in the federal government. In actuality, it was a widespread observation that it was little more than a passive, rubber stamp organization for George W. Bush. Page I of the Constitution of the United States of America Page II of the United States Constitution Page III of the United States Constitution Page IV of the United States Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America and is... This article needs cleanup. ... Rubber stamp, is a political metaphor referring to an institution that has little power and rarely disagrees with more powerful organs, though usually it formally has much greater power. ...

Throughout 2006, sectarian violence was ongoing in Baghdad and other areas of Iraq; many claimed that the conflict was evolving into a civil war. Perceptions of congress and Republicans in general remained highly negative. President Bush’s job approval rarely rose above 40%. In the months and weeks before the election, most political analysts claimed that the political environment was the worst for Republicans since the early 1930's (When another unpopular president's (Herbert Hoover) party lost control of Congress.) A civil war is a war in which parties within the same culture, society or nationality fight against each other for the control of political power. ... Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964), the thirty-first President of the United States (1929–1933), was a world-famous mining engineer and humanitarian administrator. ...

Summary of results

The Democratic Party won a majority of the state governorships^[2] and the U.S. House and Senate seats each for the first time since 1994, an election-year commonly known as the "Republican Revolution". For the first time in the history of the United States, no Republican captured any House, Senate, or Gubernatorial seat previously held by a Democrat.^[3] Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      Further information: Politics of the United States#Organization of American political parties The Democratic... The U.S. House election, 1994 was an election for the United States House of Representatives in 1994 that occurred in the middle of President Bill Clintons first term. ... The Republican Revolution refers to the success of Republican Party in the 1994 U.S. midterm elections, which resulted in a net gain of 54 seats in the House of Representatives, and a pickup of eight seats in the Senate. ...

Democrats took a 233-202 advantage in the House of Representatives, and a 51-49 advantage in the United States Senate. The Senate figure includes two candidates who ran as independent candidates: one who pledged to align with Democrats and another who lost the Democratic primary but won the general election as an independent promising to caucus with the Democrats.^[4] The final Senate result was decided when Democrat James Webb was declared the winner in Virginia against incumbent George Allen by the Associated Press.^[5] On November 9, 2006, Allen and fellow Republican incumbent Sen. Conrad Burns (Mont.) both conceded defeat, ceding control of the Senate to the Democrats.^[6][7] The United States House of Representatives (or simply the House) is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Politics Portal      The United States Senate is one of the two chambers of the bicameral United States Congress, the... James Henry Jim Webb, Jr. ... The Virginia Senate election of 2006 was held on November 7, 2006. ... For the ecclesiastical office, see Incumbent (ecclesiastical). ... George Felix Allen (born March 8, 1952) is a former Republican United States Senator from the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the son of former NFL head coach George Allen. ... The Associated Press, or AP, is an American news agency, the worlds largest such organization. ... is the 313th day of the year (314th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Conrad Ray Burns (born January 25, 1935) is a former United States Senator from Montana. ...

The election made Nancy Pelosi (D-California) the first-ever female, first-ever Italian, and first-ever Californian Speaker of the House^[8] and Harry Reid (D-Nevada) the first Mormon Senate Majority Leader.^[9] Keith Ellison (D-Minnesota) became the first Muslim ever elected to the U.S. Congress^[10] and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) and Hank Johnson (D-Georgia) became the first Buddhists in a United States governing body.^[11]. Seven states banned recognition of same-sex marriage, while Arizona became the first state to reject such a ballot initiative.^[12] South Dakota rejected a ban on abortion under almost any circumstances, which was intended to overturn federal constitutional abortion-rights nationwide by setting up a strong test case that proponents hoped would lead to the overruling of Roe vs. Wade.^[13] Nancy Patricia DAlesandro Pelosi (born March 26, 1940) is currently the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Largest metro area Greater Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... The term Speaker is usually the title given to the presiding officer of a countrys lower house of parliament or congress (ie: the House of Commons or House of Representatives). ... Harry Mason Reid (born December 2, 1939) is the senior United States Senator from Nevada and a member of the Democratic Party. ... This article is about the history and use of the word Mormon. For information about the religious beliefs and culture of Mormons, see Mormonism. ... A Senate Majority Leader is a politician within a Senate who leads the majority party, or majority coalition, of sitting senators. ... Keith Maurice Ellison (born August 4, 1963) is an American lawyer and politician who became the first Muslim[1][2] to be elected to the United States Congress when he won the vacant seat for Minnesotas 5th congressional district in the House of Representatives, one of eight congressional districts... There is also a collection of Hadith called Sahih Muslim A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Persian: Mosalman or Mosalmon Urdu: مسلمان, Turkish: Müslüman, Albanian: Mysliman, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of the religion of Islam. ... Mazie Keiko Hirono (Japanese: 広野 慶子) , born November 3, 1947 in Fukushima, Japan, is an American politician who was the second Asian immigrant elected lieutenant governor of a state of the United States. ... Henry “Hank” Johnson Jr. ... A silhouette of a Buddha statue at Ayutthaya, Thailand. ... International recognition Civil unions and Domestic partnerships Recognized in some regions Unregistered co-habitation Recognition debated See also Same-sex marriage Civil union Registered partnership Domestic partnership Timeline of same-sex marriage Listings by country This box:      Same-sex marriage, also called gay marriage, is a marriage between two persons... Official language(s) English Capital Pierre Largest city Sioux Falls Area  Ranked 17th  - Total 77,163 sq mi (199,905 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 380 miles (610 km)  - % water 1. ... Holding Texas laws criminalizing abortion violated womens Fourteenth Amendment right to choose whether or not to continue a pregnancy. ...

Some of the Republican House and Senate seats lost by the Republicans belonged to members of the Republican Revolution of 1994. Senator Rick Santorum (R-Pennsylvania), Senator Mike DeWine (R-Ohio), Congressmen Charlie Bass (R-New Hampshire), John Hostettler (R-Indiana), Gil Gutknecht (R-Minnesota), and J.D. Hayworth (R-Arizona) all were elected in Democratic held seats in the 1994 elections and defeated in 2006. The Democrats also won back the Kansas 2nd and Ohio 18th, both lost to them in 1994. Rep. Sue Kelly (R-New York), also a member of the Republican "Class of 1994," was defeated. The Republican Revolution refers to the success of Republican Party in the 1994 U.S. midterm elections, which resulted in a net gain of 54 seats in the House of Representatives, and a pickup of eight seats in the Senate. ... “Santorum” redirects here. ... Richard Michael Mike DeWine (born January 5, 1947) is an American politician from Ohio. ... Charles Foster Bass (born January 8, 1952) is a member of the United States House of Representatives for the second district of New Hampshire. ... John Nathan Hostettler (born June 19, 1961), American politician, is a former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives. ... Gilbert William Gil Gutknecht, Jr. ... John D. J.D. Hayworth Jr. ... Sue W. Kelly (b. ...

The Democratic Party also claimed a majority of state governorships in the 2006 elections, gaining control of Republican-held governorships in New York, Massachusetts, Colorado, Arkansas, Maryland and Ohio, to give the party a 28-22 advantage in governorships.

The campaign preceding the election was one of the dirtiest in recent memory, as candidates on both sides engaged in very negative campaigning. Scandals, including the Mark Foley Congressional Page Scandal, the Jack Abramoff scandal, and various allegations of marital infidelity and abuse doomed certain candidates, especially incumbents in PA-10 and NY-20, which hosted one of the most negative campaigns in the country. Virginia senator George Allen, a potential Republican 2008 Presidential candidate, saw his chances for reelection disappear when he was caught on video using a racial slur to describe a young Indian-American who worked for his opponent's campaign. Mark Foley The Mark Foley scandal, which broke in late September 2006, centers on sexually explicit and solicitative e-mails and instant messages sent by Mark Foley, a Republican Congressman from Florida, to congressional pages and former pages. ... Jack Abramoff (born February 28, 1958) is an American political lobbyist, a Republican political activist and businessman who is a central figure in a series of high-profile political scandals. ... Republican incumbent, Don Sherwood Democratic challenger, Chris Carney The 2006 Pennsylvania 10th congressional district election was held on November 7 to elect a representative from the Pennsylvanias 10th congressional district. ... The New York 20th congressional district election for the 110th Congress was held on November 7, 2006. ... George Allen can refer to several people: George Venebale Allen, (1903-1970), U.S. diplomat. ... Look up republican in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For American Indians, see Native Americans in the United States or Indigenous peoples of the Americas. ...

Federal results

The Democrats gained six Senate seats by defeating Republican senators in the states of Missouri, Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Virginia. The Democrats secured a 51-49 majority in the Senate (Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont are Independents who will vote with Democrats on caucus issues). The Democrats gained thirty House seats. For the first time since the midterm elections of 1994, the Democratic Party gained control of both houses of the United States Congress. Claire McCaskill (born July 24, 1953) is an American Democratic politician, currently the junior United States Senator from the state of Missouri and former State Auditor of Missouri. ... Jonathan Jon Tester (born August 21, 1956) is the Democratic Senator-elect from Montana. ... Sherrod Campbell Brown (born November 9, 1952) is the Democratic Junior United States Senator from the state of Ohio. ... Robert Patrick Casey, Jr. ... Sheldon Whitehouse (born October 20, 1955) is the Junior Senator from the state of Rhode Island. ... James Henry Jim Webb, Jr. ... Joseph Isadore Lieberman (born February 24, 1942) is an American politician from Connecticut. ... Official language(s) English Capital Hartford Largest city Bridgeport Largest metro area Hartford Area  Ranked 48th  - Total 5,543[2] sq mi (14,356 km²)  - Width 70 miles (113 km)  - Length 110 miles (177 km)  - % water 12. ... Bernard Bernie Sanders (born September 8, 1941) is the current big willy floppah junior United States Senator from big blob of brown poo Vermont. ... Official language(s) None Capital Montpelier Largest city Burlington Area  Ranked 45th  - Total 9,620 sq mi (24,923 km²)  - Width 80 miles (130 km)  - Length 160 miles (260 km)  - % water 3. ... A caucus is most generally defined as being a meeting of supporters or members of a political party or movement. ... The U.S. House election, 1994 was an election for the United States House of Representatives in 1994 which occurred in the middle of President Bill Clintons first term. ... Type Bicameral Houses Senate House of Representatives President of the Senate President pro tempore Dick Cheney, (R) since January 20, 2001 Robert C. Byrd, (D) since January 4, 2007 Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, (D) since January 4, 2007 Members 535 plus 4 Delegates and 1 Resident Commissioner Political...

United States House of Representatives

All 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for election. The United States House of Representatives (or simply the House) is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. ...

Main article: United States House elections, 2006

Special case: FL-13 (FL certified the Republican the winner, but this election is being disputed in court and Congress.) President Bush meets with Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer (then House Minority Leader and Minority Whip, respectively) at the Oval Office in the White House. ... is the 311th day of the year (312th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The United States House of Representatives (or simply the House) is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. ... President Bush meets with Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer (then House Minority Leader and Minority Whip, respectively) at the Oval Office in the White House. ... Summary of party change of U.S. house seats in the 2004 House election. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      Further information: Politics of the United States#Organization of American political parties The Democratic... The Republican Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States of America, along with the Democratic Party. ... Floridas 13th congressional district encompasses all of Sarasota, DeSoto, and Hardee County, and most of Manatee County, except for a small northern coastal portion in District 11. ...

United States Senate

The 33 seats in the United States Senate Class 1 were up for election. Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Politics Portal      The United States Senate is one of the two chambers of the bicameral United States Congress, the... The three classes of US Senators, each currently including 33 or 34 Senators (since Hawaii became the 50th state in 1959, and until another state is admitted), are a means used by the United States Senate for describing the schedules of Senate seats elections, and of the expiration of the...

Main article: United States Senate elections, 2006

The Democratic Party is considered to hold a majority with 51 seats because the two independents, Bernie Sanders (Vermont) and Independent Democrat Joe Lieberman (Connecticut), caucus with the Democrats.  Republican hold  Democratic hold  Democratic pickup  Independent hold  Independent pickup Elections for the United States Senate were held on November 7, 2006, with 33 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate being contested. ... is the 311th day of the year (312th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Politics Portal      The United States Senate is one of the two chambers of the bicameral United States Congress, the...  Republican hold  Democratic hold  Democratic pickup  Independent hold  Independent pickup Elections for the United States Senate were held on November 7, 2006, with 33 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate being contested. ...  Republican holds  Republican pickups  Democratic holds  Democratic pickups The United States Senate election, 2004 was an election for one-third of the seats in the United States Senate which coincided with the re-election of George W. Bush as president and the United States House election, as well as many...  Republican hold  Democratic hold  Democratic pickup  Independent hold  Independent pickup Elections for the United States Senate were held on November 7, 2006, with 33 of the 100 seats in the United States Senate being contested. ... Federal courts Supreme Court Circuit Courts of Appeal District Courts Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Local Government Other countries Atlas  Politics Portal      Further information: Politics of the United States#Organization of American political parties The Democratic... The Republican Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States of America, along with the Democratic Party. ... The Libertarian Party is an American political party founded on Dec. ... This article is about the American political party, Green Party. ... The Constitution Party is a conservative United States political party. ... Bernard Bernie Sanders (born September 8, 1941) is the current big willy floppah junior United States Senator from big blob of brown poo Vermont. ... Official language(s) None Capital Montpelier Largest city Burlington Area  Ranked 45th  - Total 9,620 sq mi (24,923 km²)  - Width 80 miles (130 km)  - Length 160 miles (260 km)  - % water 3. ... Joseph Isadore Lieberman (born February 24, 1942) is an American politician from Connecticut. ... Official language(s) English Capital Hartford Largest city Bridgeport Largest metro area Hartford Area  Ranked 48th  - Total 5,543[2] sq mi (14,356 km²)  - Width 70 miles (113 km)  - Length 110 miles (177 km)  - % water 12. ... A caucus is most generally defined as being a meeting of supporters or members of a political party or movement. ...

State results

Governors

Main article: United States gubernatorial elections, 2006

Of the 50 United States governors, 36 were up for election. Twenty two of those contested seats were held by Republicans, and the remaining 14 were held by Democrats. Of the 36 governorships up for election, ten were open due to retirement, term limits, or primary loss. Although most governors serve four-year terms, the two exceptions, Vermont and New Hampshire, elect governors to two-year terms. As a result of the 2006 gubernatorial elections, there are now 28 Democratic governors and 22 Republican governors, a reversal of the numbers held by the respective parties prior to the elections. Republican holds in dark red, Democratic holds in dark blue, Democratic pickups in light blue The U.S. gubernatorial elections of 2006 were held on November 7, 2006 in 36 states with 22 of the seats held by Republicans and 14 by Democrats. ... For other uses, see Governor (disambiguation). ... Official language(s) None Capital Montpelier Largest city Burlington Area  Ranked 45th  - Total 9,620 sq mi (24,923 km²)  - Width 80 miles (130 km)  - Length 160 miles (260 km)  - % water 3. ... Official language(s) English Capital Concord Largest city Manchester Area  Ranked 46th  - Total 9,350 sq mi (24,217 km²)  - Width 68 miles (110 km)  - Length 190 miles (305 km)  - % water 4. ... Republican holds in dark red, Democratic holds in dark blue, Democratic pickups in light blue The U.S. gubernatorial elections of 2006 were held on November 7, 2006 in 36 states with 22 of the seats held by Republicans and 14 by Democrats. ...

State legislatures

Nearly all state legislatures were up for election. Prior to the general elections, with the exception of the nonpartisan Nebraska Legislature, 21 legislatures were controlled by Republicans, 19 by Democrats, and nine were split legislatures (where both houses are controlled by different parties). As a result of the 2006 elections, 23 legislatures were carried by Democrats, 17 by Republicans, and 9 legislatures were split. In all, Republicans lost, and Democrats gained, more than 300 state legislative seats. Democrats gained control of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, the Minnesota Legislature, the Iowa General Assembly and the New Hampshire General Court. In New Hampshire's case, both houses of the legislature flipped from the Republicans to the Democrats. The Republicans, meanwhile, did not gain control of any state legislature. Instead, state Republicans lost their majorities in the Wisconsin Senate, the Michigan Legislature, the Pennsylvania General Assembly, and the Indiana General Assembly, turning those legislatures into split bodies. Conversely, Republicans gained control of 2 state houses - the Montana House of Representatives changed from a 50-50 split to a 50-49-1 split, with the lone Constitution Party representative voting for Republican control of that body. Also, the election produced a 26-26 split in the Mississippi Senate, previously under a democratic majority, with the tie-breaking vote coming from Republican lieutenant governor Amy Tuck. Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures State Courts Counties, Cities, and Towns Other countries Politics Portal      In the United States of America, a state legislature is a generic term referring to the... In U.S. politics, nonpartisan denotes an election in which the candidates do not declare or do not formally have a political party affiliation. ... The Nebraska Legislature is the U.S. state of Nebraskas legislative branch. ... The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. ... The Minnesota State Legislature is the legislative branch of government in the U.S. state of Minnesota. ... 2002 Senate District Map 2002 House District Map The Iowa General Assembly (IGA) is the legislative branch for the state of Iowa. ... The New Hampshire General Court is the state legislature of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. ... The Wisconsin Senate, whose powers are modeled after those of the U.S. Senate, is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature, smaller than the Wisconsin State Assembly. ... The Michigan Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Michigan. ... Capitol Building The Pennsylvania General Assembly is the U.S. state of Pennsylvanias legislative branch, seated at the states capital, Harrisburg. ... The Indiana General Assembly is the state legislature, or legislative branch, of the state government of Indiana. ... The Montana House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Montana Legislature. ... The Constitution Party is a conservative United States political party. ... The Mississippi Senate, in American politics, is the upper house of the state legislature of Mississippi. ... Amy Tuck is currently the Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi, a Republican. ...

Democrats gained or retained control of the state legislatures and governorships of 15 states, thus creating one-party Government in Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Washington, and West Virginia. Republicans now control ten state governments, these being ,Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Missouri, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and Utah. ^[14] Official language(s) English Capital Little Rock Largest city Little Rock Largest metro area Little Rock Metropolitan Area Area  Ranked 29th  - Total 53,179 sq mi (137,002 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 261 miles (420 km)  - % water 2. ... Official language(s) English Capital Denver Largest city Denver Largest metro area Denver-Aurora Metro Area Area  Ranked 8th  - Total 104,185 sq mi (269,837 km²)  - Width 280 miles (451 km)  - Length 380 miles (612 km)  - % water 0. ... Official language(s) English[1] Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Largest metro area Chicago Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq mi (149,998 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 390 miles (629 km)  - % water 4. ... Official language(s) English Capital Des Moines Largest city Des Moines Area  Ranked 26th  - Total 56,272 sq mi (145,743 km²)  - Width 310 miles (500 km)  - Length 199 miles (320 km)  - % water 0. ... Official language(s) de jure: none de facto: English & French Capital Baton Rouge Largest city New Orleans [1] Area  Ranked 31st  - Total 51,885 sq mi (134,382 km²)  - Width 130 miles (210 km)  - Length 379 miles (610 km)  - % water 16  - Latitude 29°N to 33°N  - Longitude 89°W... Official language(s) None (English and French de facto) Capital Augusta Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 39th  - Total 33,414 sq mi (86,542 km²)  - Width 210 miles (338 km)  - Length 320 miles (515 km)  - % water 13. ... Official language(s) None (English, de facto) Capital Annapolis Largest city Baltimore Area  Ranked 42nd  - Total 12,407 sq mi (32,133 km²)  - Width 90 miles (145 km)  - Length 249 miles (400 km)  - % water 21  - Latitude 37° 53′ N to 39° 43′ N  - Longitude 75° 03′ W to 79° 29... This article is about the U.S. State. ... Official language(s) English Capital Concord Largest city Manchester Area  Ranked 46th  - Total 9,350 sq mi (24,217 km²)  - Width 68 miles (110 km)  - Length 190 miles (305 km)  - % water 4. ... Official language(s) English de facto Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Area  Ranked 47th  - Total 8,729 sq mi (22,608 km²)  - Width 70 miles (110 km)  - Length 150 miles (240 km)  - % water 14. ... Capital Santa Fe Largest city Albuquerque Area  Ranked 5th  - Total 121,665 sq mi (315,194 km²)  - Width 342 miles (550 km)  - Length 370 miles (595 km)  - % water 0. ... Official language(s) English Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Area  Ranked 28th  - Total 53,865 sq mi (139,509 km²)  - Width 150 miles (240 km)  - Length 560[1] miles (901 km)  - % water 9. ... Official language(s) (none)[1] Capital Salem Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 9th  - Total 98,466 sq mi (255,026 km²)  - Width 260 miles (420 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 2. ... Official language(s) English Capital Olympia Largest city Seattle Area  Ranked 18th  - Total 71,342 sq mi (184,827 km²)  - Width 240 miles (385 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 6. ... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston Largest city Charleston Area  Ranked 41st  - Total 24,244 sq mi (62,809 km²)  - Width 130 miles (210 km)  - Length 240 miles (385 km)  - % water 0. ... Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Largest metro area Miami metropolitan area Area  Ranked 22nd  - Total 65,795[1] sq mi (170,304[1] km²)  - Width 361 miles (582 km)  - Length 447 miles (721 km)  - % water 17. ... Official language(s) English [1] Capital Boise Largest city Boise Largest metro area Boise metropolitan area Area  Ranked 14th  - Total 83,642 sq mi (216,632 km²)  - Width 305 miles (491 km)  - Length 479 miles (771 km)  - % water 0. ... Official language(s) English Capital Jefferson City Largest city Kansas City Largest metro area St Louis[1] Area  Ranked 21st  - Total 69,709 sq mi (180,693 km²)  - Width 240 miles (385 km)  - Length 300 miles (480 km)  - % water 1. ... Official language(s) English Capital Bismarck Largest city Fargo Area  Ranked 19th  - Total 70,762 sq mi (183,272 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 340 miles (545 km)  - % water 2. ... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston(1670-1789) Columbia(1790-present) Largest city Columbia Largest metro area Columbia Area  Ranked 40th  - Total 34,726 sq mi (82,965 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 260 miles (420 km)  - % water 6  - Latitude 32° 2′ N to 35° 13′ N  - Longitude... Official language(s) English Capital Pierre Largest city Sioux Falls Area  Ranked 17th  - Total 77,163 sq mi (199,905 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 380 miles (610 km)  - % water 1. ... Official language(s) No official language See languages of Texas Capital Austin Largest city Houston Largest metro area Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex Area  Ranked 2nd  - Total 261,797 sq mi (678,051 km²)  - Width 773 miles (1,244 km)  - Length 790 miles (1,270 km)  - % water 2. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ...

Democrats won a veto-proof supermajority in both houses of the Connecticut General Assembly, with Democrats holding a commanding 131-56 majority. The Connecticut General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. ...

The most dramatic change in party control occurred with the New Hampshire General Court, where Republicans held a 92 seat majority in the lower House and an eight seat majority in the upper Senate prior to the election. By the end of the evening, Republicans had lost 81 seats in the House and five in the Senate, giving control of the General Court to the Democrats. This coincided with the landslide reelection of Democratic Governor John Lynch, the takeover of both of New Hampshire's U.S. House seats by Democrats, and New Hampshire's unique Executive Council gaining a Democratic majority. The New Hampshire General Court is the state legislature of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. ... John H. Lynch (b. ... Executive Council of the State of New Hampshire (commonly Governors Council) is the Executive body of the U.S. state of New Hampshire. ...

Third parties

Third parties received largely mixed results in the 2006 elections. In the Maine House of Representatives, Green State Representative John Eder was narrowly defeated by Democratic rival Jon Hinck in a bitterly contested campaign over Portland's 118th District. Eder's loss deprived the U.S. Green movement's highest elected position in any state office. ^[15] The debating chamber of the Maine House of Representatives inside the State House The Maine House of Representatives is the lower house of the Maine Legislature. ... The Maine Green Independent Party is the oldest state Green party in the United States. ... John Eder (born January 18, 1969) is a Green Party Leader, social activist, and American politician from the U.S. state of Maine. ... Nickname: Motto: Resurgam (Latin for I will rise again) Country United States State Maine County Cumberland Settled 1632 Incorporated 1786 Government  - Mayor Nicholas M. Mavodones, Jr Area  - City  52. ...

In the Vermont House of Representatives, the Vermont Progressive Party successfully maintained its six seats within the chamber. The Vermont Progressive Party has in recent years become one of the most consistently successful third parties in the U.S. to be elected to higher office. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Vermont General Assembly. ... The Vermont Progressive Party is perhaps the United States most consistently successful current third party, although it is active in only one state. ...

In Illinois, out of seemingly dissatisfaction of both the candidacies of Democratic Governor Rod Blagojevich and Republican candidate Judy Barr Topinka resulted in 10% of the electorate voting for the Green Party candidate Rich Whitney, an accomplishment by all means considering Whitney did not campaign on television or radio. Milorad Blagojevich, commonly known as Rod R. Blagojevich (pronounced IPA:  , born December 10, 1956) is an American politician from the state of Illinois. ... A Green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of Green politics. ... Rich Whitney in 2006 Wikisource has original text related to this article: The_Times_Demand_Change Rich Whitney is an Illinois politician and the Illinois Green Partys candidate for Governor of Illinois in 2006. ...

In Montana, Rick Jore made history becoming the first candidate of the right-wing Constitution Party to be elected to a state legislature, elected to the 12th District in the Montana House of Representatives. Jore initially won in 2004 by three votes, only to see the courts throw out enough ballots to give the Democrat the victory. In the 2006 elections, Jore won convincingly, garnering 56.2% of the vote. ^[16] Rick Jore, a Montana politician and businessman, was born and raised in Ronan, Montana, and received his associates degree from North Idaho College in 1978 and is currently the owner of Westslope Trout Company and vice-chair of the Constitution Party of Montana. ... The Constitution Party is a conservative United States political party. ... The Montana House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Montana Legislature. ...

Neither the Libertarian or Reform Parties gained any state legislative seats. The Libertarian Party is an American political party founded on Dec. ... The Reform Party of the United States of America (abbreviated Reform Party USA or RPUSA) is a political party in the United States, founded by Ross Perot in 1995 who said Americans were disillusioned with the state of politics--as being corrupt and unable to deal with vital issues--and...

Ballot initiatives

Voters weighed in on various ballot initiatives. These included:

• In a hotly-contested referendum that inspired a widely-publicized feud between conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh and actor Michael J. Fox, Missouri voters narrowly passed an initiative to allow funding for embryonic stem cell research. The presence of the referendum on the ballot may also have aided Democrat Claire McCaskill in her victory over incumbent senator Jim Talent, who had opposed the measure.
• Raising the minimum wage, which passed in all six states with such referendums (AZ, CO, MO, MT, NV, OH)
• Banning the recognition of same-sex marriage, passing in seven out of eight states (Colorado, Idaho, South Carolina, South Dakota (in South Dakota the proposition passed by a margin of only 51 to 48) , Tennessee, Virginia, Wisconsin, with Arizona voting against the proposition, the first state in the nation to do so.)
• Colorado voters narrowly rejected an amendment to establish domestic partnerships by a margin of 52% to 47%.
• Legalizing cannabis, failing in both states with such referendums for use for unconditional reasons (Colorado, Nevada) as well as for medical use only (South Dakota)
• Restricting affirmative action, passing in Michigan
• Requiring parental notification before an abortion for minors, failing in both states with such referendums (California, Oregon)
• Banning nearly all abortions, including those for victims of rape and incest, which failed in South Dakota
• Instant-runoff voting, which passed in the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota
• A referendum to ease restrictions on wine sales in Massachusetts, which failed.
• Rhode Island voters approved a constitutional amendment to reextend the franchise to former criminals following their release, effectively enfranchising individuals on parole or probation.
• In California, voters endorsed a $37 billion package of bonds (Propositions 1A through 1E) to pay for transportation projects, housing, levee repairs and other infrastructure -- said to be the largest program of its kind in U.S. history.^[17]

The minimum wage is the minimum rate a worker can legally be paid (usually per hour) as opposed to wages that are determined by the forces of supply and demand in a free market. ... Official language(s) English Spoken language(s) English 74. ... Official language(s) English Capital Denver Largest city Denver Largest metro area Denver-Aurora Metro Area Area  Ranked 8th  - Total 104,185 sq mi (269,837 km²)  - Width 280 miles (451 km)  - Length 380 miles (612 km)  - % water 0. ... Official language(s) English Capital Jefferson City Largest city Kansas City Largest metro area St Louis[1] Area  Ranked 21st  - Total 69,709 sq mi (180,693 km²)  - Width 240 miles (385 km)  - Length 300 miles (480 km)  - % water 1. ... Official language(s) English Capital Helena Largest city Billings Area  Ranked 4th  - Total 147,165 sq mi (381,156 km²)  - Width 255 miles (410 km)  - Length 630 miles (1,015 km)  - % water 1  - Latitude 44°26N to 49°N  - Longitude 104°2W to 116°2W Population  Ranked... Official language(s) English Capital Carson City Largest city Las Vegas Area  Ranked 7th  - Total 110,567 sq mi (286,367 km²)  - Width 322 miles (519 km)  - Length 490 miles (788 km)  - % water 0. ... Official language(s) None Capital Columbus Largest city Columbus Largest metro area Cleveland Area  Ranked 34th  - Total 44,825 sq mi (116,096 km²)  - Width 220 miles (355 km)  - Length 220 miles (355 km)  - % water 8. ... International recognition Civil unions and Domestic partnerships Recognized in some regions Unregistered co-habitation Recognition debated See also Same-sex marriage Civil union Registered partnership Domestic partnership Timeline of same-sex marriage Listings by country This box:      Same-sex marriage, also called gay marriage, is a marriage between two persons... Official language(s) English Capital Denver Largest city Denver Largest metro area Denver-Aurora Metro Area Area  Ranked 8th  - Total 104,185 sq mi (269,837 km²)  - Width 280 miles (451 km)  - Length 380 miles (612 km)  - % water 0. ... Official language(s) English [1] Capital Boise Largest city Boise Largest metro area Boise metropolitan area Area  Ranked 14th  - Total 83,642 sq mi (216,632 km²)  - Width 305 miles (491 km)  - Length 479 miles (771 km)  - % water 0. ... Official language(s) English Capital Charleston(1670-1789) Columbia(1790-present) Largest city Columbia Largest metro area Columbia Area  Ranked 40th  - Total 34,726 sq mi (82,965 km²)  - Width 200 miles (320 km)  - Length 260 miles (420 km)  - % water 6  - Latitude 32° 2′ N to 35° 13′ N  - Longitude... Official language(s) English Capital Pierre Largest city Sioux Falls Area  Ranked 17th  - Total 77,163 sq mi (199,905 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 380 miles (610 km)  - % water 1. ... Official language(s) English Capital Nashville Largest city Memphis Largest metro area Nashville Area  Ranked 36th  - Total 42,169 sq mi (109,247 km²)  - Width 120 miles (195 km)  - Length 440 miles (710 km)  - % water 2. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Official language(s) None Capital Madison Largest city Milwaukee Area  Ranked 23rd  - Total 65,498 sq mi (169,790 km²)  - Width 260 miles (420 km)  - Length 310 miles (500 km)  - % water 17  - Latitude 42° 30′ N to 47° 05′ N  - Longitude 86° 46′ W to 92° 53′ W Population  Ranked... Official language(s) English Spoken language(s) English 74. ... Look up Cannabis in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Official language(s) English Capital Denver Largest city Denver Largest metro area Denver-Aurora Metro Area Area  Ranked 8th  - Total 104,185 sq mi (269,837 km²)  - Width 280 miles (451 km)  - Length 380 miles (612 km)  - % water 0. ... Official language(s) English Capital Carson City Largest city Las Vegas Area  Ranked 7th  - Total 110,567 sq mi (286,367 km²)  - Width 322 miles (519 km)  - Length 490 miles (788 km)  - % water 0. ... Official language(s) English Capital Pierre Largest city Sioux Falls Area  Ranked 17th  - Total 77,163 sq mi (199,905 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 380 miles (610 km)  - % water 1. ... Affirmative action refers to policies intended to promote access to education or employment aimed at a historically socio-politically non-dominant group (typically, minorities or women). ... Official language(s) None (English, de-facto) Capital Lansing Largest city Detroit Largest metro area Metro Detroit Area  Ranked 11th  - Total 97,990 sq mi (253,793 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 491 miles (790 km)  - % water 41. ... Parental notification is the legal requirement that one or more parents be notified (and, typically, give consent) before their minor daughter may have an abortion. ... The term minor (from Latin smaller, lesser) has several meanings: Minor is a legal term for a young person, see Minor (law). ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Largest metro area Greater Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... Official language(s) (none)[1] Capital Salem Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 9th  - Total 98,466 sq mi (255,026 km²)  - Width 260 miles (420 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 2. ... Incest is sexual activity between two persons related by close kinship. ... Example Instant-runoff voting ballot Instant-runoff voting (IRV), also referred to as preferential voting is a voting system most commonly used for single member elections in which voters each have one vote, but can rank candidates in order of preference. ... “Minneapolis” redirects here. ... A glass of red wine This article is about the alcoholic beverage. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ...

Local elections

Numerous other elections for local, city, and county public offices were held.

An unusual local election occurred in South Dakota; Marie Steichen was elected to Jerauld County commissioner, despite the fact that she died two months before the election. Her name was never replaced on the ballot, and voters who chose her were aware of her death.^[18] Official language(s) English Capital Pierre Largest city Sioux Falls Area  Ranked 17th  - Total 77,163 sq mi (199,905 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 380 miles (610 km)  - % water 1. ... Marie Steichen is the commissioner-elect of Jerauld County in the U.S. state of South Dakota, elected during the general election of November 7, 2006 -- despite her death two months before. ... Jerauld County is a county located in the state of South Dakota. ...

In Richmond, California, a city of more than 100,000 residents, the Green Party challenger, city councilperson Gayle McLaughlin, unseated Democratic incumbent Irma Anderson and will now become the first Green Party mayor of a city of that size.^[19] Nickname: Coordinates: , Country United States State California County Contra Costa Government  - Mayor Gayle McLaughlin (G) Area  - City  52. ... Gayle McLaughlin is member of the City Council of Richmond, California, and a social activist who has participated in movements for peace, social justice, civil rights, and environmental protection. ... Richmond city council portrait, Anderson in center Irma A. Anderson was the first African American woman elected mayor of a major California city, serving Richmond, California between 2001 and 2006, she ran for reelection as the incumbant Democrat in the 2006 mayorial race and lost to Green challenger councilperson Gayle...

Two candidates in Nevada’s branch of the Constitution Party, called the Independent American Party (Nevada), were also elected to office. Jackie Berg was elected Eureka County Clerk with 54.1% of the vote, easily topping Republican and Libertarian opposition. Also, Cel Ochoa will be the new constable in Searchlight, Nevada by virtue of winning 54.93% of the vote to defeat her Republican rival. Another Nevada Independent Party member, Bill Wilkerson, was elected to the Elko, Nevada School Board, in a non-partisan race.^[20] The Constitution Party is a conservative United States political party. ... The Independent American Party is the Constitution Party affiliate in Nevada. ... Eureka County is a county located in the state of Nevada. ... The Republican Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States of America, along with the Democratic Party. ... The Libertarian Party is an American political party founded on Dec. ... View of Searchlight, from the southwest Searchlight is a census-designated place located in Clark County, Nevada. ... Elko, Nevada Elko is a city in Elko County, Nevada, United States. ...

In Missoula County, Montana, residents passed a measure to encourage the County Sheriff's Department to make marijuana enforcement a last priority.^[21] Missoula County is a county located in the state of Montana. ...

In Dallas County, Texas, Democrats regained control in 41 out of 42 contested GOP judgeships, as well as the district attorney's office and the county judge's seat.^[22] Dallas County is a county located in the state of Texas within the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metropolitan area (colloquially referred to as the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex). ...

Reasons for Democratic Win

Beginning just after George W. Bush's reelection, political analysts point to a number of factors and events that led to the eventual Republican defeat in 2006. It is generally agreed that the single most important issue during the 2006 election was the war in Iraq, and more specifically President Bush's handling of it. Presidential election results map. ... There have been three conflicts in the late 20th century and early 21st century called Gulf War, all of which refer to conflicts in the Persian Gulf region: Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) (aka First Gulf War). ...

Indeed, public opinion polling conducted during the days just before the election and the weeks just after it showed that the war in Iraq was considered the most important election issue by the largest segment of the public.^[23] Exit polling showed that relatively large majorities of voters both fell into the category of disapproving of the war or expressing the desire to withdraw troops in some type of capacity. Both brackets broke extremely heavily for Democrats.^[24] The issue of the war seemed to play a large part in the nationalization of the election, a departure from previous midterm elections, which tended to be about local, district-centric issues.^[25] The effect of this was a general nationwide advantage for Democrats, who were not seen as being as tied to the war as Republicans, led by George Bush, were.

Additionally, president Bush himself, seen as the leader and face of the Republican party, was a large factor in the 2006 election. Exit polls showed that a large chunk of the electorate had voted for Democrats or for third parties specifically because of personal opposition to or dislike for Bush. The size of the segment that said it had voted specifically to support Bush was not as large.^[26] Opposition to Bush was based on a number of factors, these not limited to opposition to his Social Security plan, the slow response of his administration to Hurricane Katrina, his perceived inaction in the face of and association with rising gas prices, and as mentioned above, his continued commitment to the war. This article concerns proposals to change the Social Security system in the United States. ... This article is about the Atlantic hurricane of 2005. ... This article or section contains speculation and may try to argue its points. ...

Also, congressional approval, which had been slightly negative since before the 2004 election, began a steady drop beginning in March 2005. Congress's unprecedented and unpopular involvement in the Terri Schiavo controversy is often pointed to as the catalyst for this drop. Congressional scandals, such as the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal, the sentencing of Duke Cunningham to over eight years in prison, the indictment of then House majority leader Tom DeLay, and the misconduct of Cynthia McKinney and William Jefferson, all continued to pull down congressional popularity. In the months leading up to the election, congressional approval ratings flirted with all-time historical lows. [3] Because congress was controlled by Republicans, this high disapproval affected Republicans much more negatively than it did Democrats. Theresa Marie Terri Schiavo (December 3, 1963 – March 31, 2005), from St. ... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... Randall Harold Cunningham (born December 8, 1941), usually known as Randy or Duke, was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Californias 50th Congressional District from 1991 to 2005. ... The Tom DeLay corruption investigation led by Texas Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle led to the indictment of Tom DeLay in 2005 on criminal charges of conspiracy to violate election laws in 2002 by a Travis County, Texas grand jury. ... Cynthia Ann McKinney (born March 17, 1955) is an American politician from the U.S. state of Georgia. ... William Jefferson can refer to more than one person. ...

Democrats were successful in portraying the congress as a lazy, greedy, egotistical, and inefficient "Do-Nothing Congress." Indeed, the congress had been in session much less than previous ones had^[27] (including those under Republican control), and numerous public opinion polls showed that large majorities believed that the congress had accomplished less than normal. [4] This too, took a toll on Republicans (as the leaders of the government).

The listed scandals were all dwarfed by the highly publicised Mark Foley scandal, which broke in late September and rapidly metastasized to include the House Republican leadership. Florida Representative Mark Foley, who ironically headed the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children, was found to have been making sexually lewd and highly inappropriate contacts online with male congressional pages, and it was soon found that members of the Republican leadership knew in some capacity of Foley's advances, yet took little action. The scandal allowed Democrats to adopt corruption as a campaign issue, and exit polls on election day showed that corruption remained an important issue, one that Democrats held an advantage on.^[28] In addition, many (at the time and after the fact) cited the scandal as an event that sealed the fate of the Republican congress.^[29][30] After the election, top Republican strategist Karl Rove specifically named the Foley scandal as the cause of the Republicans' loss of congress.^[31] Mark Foley The Mark Foley scandal, which broke in late September 2006, centers on sexually explicit and solicitative e-mails and instant messages sent by Mark Foley, a Republican Congressman from Florida, to congressional pages and former pages. ... Mark Adam Foley (born September 8, 1954) is an American politician who served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 until 2006, representing the 16th District of Florida. ... The House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children (HCMEC) was formed in order to assist the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and coordinate federal legislation preventing child abduction and exploitation of children, including prosecution for possession of online pornography and solicitation of minors for sexual activity. ...

The result was that on election day, many congressional seats had been touched by Republican scandals and were easier to pick up for Democrats than under normal conditions. These include but are not limited to the Montana Senate, Virginia Senate, CA-11, PA-07, PA-10, TX-22, OH-18, FL-16, and NY-20 races. The 2006 U.S. Senate Election for the state of Montana was held November 7, 2006. ... The Virginia Senate election of 2006 was held on November 7, 2006. ... Contains Morgan Hill, California. ... Pennsylvanias 7th congressional district is one of Pennsylvanias voting districts for the United States House of Representatives. ... Pennsylvanias 10th congressional district has been represented by Republican Don Sherwood since 1999. ... The current boundaries of Texas District 22. ... Ohios 18th district The 18th congressional district of Ohio is currently represented by Republican Representative Robert W. Ney. ... Floridas Sixteenth Congressional District is a U.S. congressional district in Florida. ... The 20th Congressional District of New York is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in eastern New York. ...

Almost all of the gains made by Democrats came from large gains among independents, not Republicans. Democrats, Republicans, and independents all accounted for proportions of the electorate similar to what they did in 2004. Democrats and Republicans voted nearly as loyally for their parties in 2006 as they did in 2004, but independents exhibited a large swing towards Democrats. In 2004, independents split 49-46, slightly in favor of Democrats, [5] but in 2006 they voted 57-39 for Democrats, a fifteen point swing and the largest margin among independents for Democrats since the US 1986 Midterm elections.^[32]

At the non-federal statewide and local level, reasons for large Democratic gains were less clear. Many governorships and statewide offices were picked up in "blue" states that were pushed to vote for statewide Democrats by the national climate, while in previous years had been more receptive to Republicans. In some statewide and state legislative races, especially in Ohio^[33], Republican corruption played a very strong role. More than anything, it is likely that the national tide against Republicans affected downticket races in favor of Democrats, delivering them their significant non-federal gains.

Election irregularities

There were scattered reports of problems at polling places across the country as new electronic voting systems were introduced in many states. The problems ranged from voter and election official confusion about how to use new voting machines to apparent political dirty tricks designed to keep certain voters from casting their votes to inclement weather suppressing turnout.

Some reported irregularities:

• Millions of allegedly harassing and deceptive "robo-calls" were reported or placed in at least 53 house districts. The vast majority of the calls were reported to begin with the message "Hello, I’m calling with information about (Democratic candidate)" and continue with a negative message concerning the candidate. Regulatory statements concerning the sponsor of the message (usually the NRCC) allegedly did not come until after the message, instead of before, as the FCC mandates. Citizens reported receiving calls several times an hour and as late as 2:30 AM, and many held the mistaken belief that the calls were from Democratic campaigns.^[34]
• Massive undervoting in several Florida counties, suspected to be caused either by malfunctioning electronic voting machines or bad ballot design. Recount is impossible because of missing paper trail.^[35][36] An analysis from the Orlando Sentinel claims the undervoting swung an election to the GOP in Florida's 13th congressional district.^[37] Democratic candidate Christine Jennings brings a lawsuit to court.^[38]
• In Gateway, Arkansas, a town of 122 people, 199 votes were cast in an uncontested mayoral race. In nearby Pea Ridge, Arkansas, 3,997 votes were cast in a contested mayor's race for the city of 3,344 people.^[39]
• Waldenberg, Arkansas mayoral candidate, Randy Wooten, gets no votes despite voting for himself.^[40][41]
• Report of a "straight vote" for Democrats including non-Democrats in York County, Pennsylvania.^[42]
• In the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area, officials could not verify that voting machines were secure and did not already have votes in them.^[43]
• Voting-machine problems kept polls open until nine o'clock pm, an hour later than scheduled, in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania.^[44]
• A man in Allentown, PA smashed an electronic voting machine with a paperweight. The votes were recovered.^[45]
• Poll workers struggled with e-ballots in several states.^[46]
• In a small town in Oklahoma, a power outage in a polling station was caused by a squirrel gnawing on a power cable.^[47]
• Officials and experts reported electronic voting machine malfunctions in Indiana, Ohio, New Jersey, Colorado and Florida.^[48]
• A bomb threat at East High School caused a voting shutdown in Madison, Wisconsin.^[49]
• A Kentucky poll worker was charged with choking a voter.^[50]
• Programming errors and inexperience dealing with electronic voting machines caused delays in Indiana, Ohio and Florida. About 175 of 914 precincts turned to paper ballots in Indiana's Marion County.^[51]
• Vandals chained the main door and broke keys into the locks of New Jersey Republican candidate for Senate Tom Kean Jr.'s headquarters. Accusations have been made towards Democratic incumbent Bob Menendez, but they deny any involvement in the situation.^[52]
• Disabled voters were asked by election officials in Bonneville County, Idaho to use punch card ballots.^[53]
• Irregularities with Diebold and other voting machines have been reported in the early elections.^[54][55]
• The Chicago Board of Elections has been running a Web site that has allowed, by a simple programming hack, the exposure of personal information of a million registered voters. (Fixed on 21 October 2006)^[56]
• Reports from Virginia:^[57]
  • FBI looking into possible Va. voter intimidation.^[58]
  • Calls that voting will lead to arrest.
  • Telling voters that their polling location has changed.
  • Fliers in Buckingham county say “Skip the election”
  • Voting machine problems.
• Vote flipping of voting machines in several states.^{[59][60][61][62]}
• Demonstration of crackable Diebold voting machine in HBO's documentary Hacking Democracy.^[63][64]
• On Election day November 7, talk show host Laura Ingraham prompted listeners (audio) to jam the Democratic Voter Protection hotline where voting problems were to be reported,^[65] reminiscent of the 2002 New Hampshire Senate election phone jamming scandal.
• In Maryland, some voters were given sample ballots by Republican supporters that incorrectly listed Republicans Robert Ehrlich and Michael Steele as Democrats.^[66]
• In Sarasota County, Florida, a large number of undervotes for the close 13th congressional district race, coupled with reports of voting machine problems on that part of the ballot, led Florida's Secretary of State to send a team to audit the result and possible recount.^[67]
• Electronic voting machine problems in Kane County, Illinois kept the polls open until 8:30pm CST, one and a half hours later than scheduled.^[68]
• In western Washington, flooding from heavy rainfall interfered with the elections.^[69]
• In Denver, Colorado, the computer system containing the voter registration rolls slowed down and crashed on several occasions during the day causing lines that were over two hours long at some vote centers.^[70] Some vote centers ran out of provisional ballots, and sample ballots had to be used instead.^[71]
• Also in Denver, 44,000 absentee ballots were misprinted with the "yes" and "no" positions on a ballot issue reversed. Also, the bar code designating the ballot style was misprinted, requiring the ballots to be hand sorted which delayed results by over a week. The problem is blamed on ballot misprints by Sequoia Voting Systems. Some ballots had to be hand-copied onto other ballots before they could be counted. ^[72]

A database of reported problems can also be found at Voters Unite. Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Largest metro area Miami metropolitan area Area  Ranked 22nd  - Total 65,795[1] sq mi (170,304[1] km²)  - Width 361 miles (582 km)  - Length 447 miles (721 km)  - % water 17. ... The Orlando Sentinel is the primary newspaper of the Orlando, Florida region. ... Floridas 13th congressional district encompasses all of Sarasota, DeSoto, and Hardee County, and most of Manatee County, except for a small northern coastal portion in District 11. ... Christine Jennings Christine Jennings (born November 26, 1945) is a banker and a Democratic politician. ... Gateway is a town located in Benton County, Arkansas. ... Pea Ridge is a city located in Benton County, Arkansas. ... York County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. ... “Pittsburgh” redirects here. ... Location in the state of Pennsylvania Formed 1813 Seat Lebanon Area  - Total  - Water 939 km² (363 mi²) 2 km² (1 mi²) 0. ... Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County in eastern Pennsylvania, USA. After Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, Allentown is Pennsylvanias third most populous city. ... Nickname: Location of Madison in Dane County, Wisconsin Coordinates: , Municipality City Incorporated 1848 Government  - Mayor Dave Cieslewicz Area  - City 219. ... Bonneville County is a county located in the U.S. state of Idaho. ... Diebold Election Systems, Inc. ... A voting machine is a device to record and register votes to be counted as per any voting system, with or without printing a ballot for the voter to verify. ... is the 294th day of the year (295th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A voting machine is a device to record and register votes to be counted as per any voting system, with or without printing a ballot for the voter to verify. ... Diebold Election Systems, Inc. ... Hacking Democracy is a 2006 documentary film by Simon Ardizzone and Russell Michaels, produced by Simon Ardizzone, Robert Carrillo Cohen and Russell Michaels, shown on HBO. It documents anomalies and irregularities with e-voting (electronic voting) systems that occurred during the 2004 election, especially in Volusia County, Florida, and investigates... is the 311th day of the year (312th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Laura Anne Ingraham (born June 19, 1964 in Glastonbury, Connecticut) is an American conservative talk radio host and author. ... The 2002 New Hampshire Senate election phone jamming scandal involves the use of a telemarketing firm hired by that states Republican Party (NHGOP) for election tampering. ... Sarasota County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. ... Floridas 13th congressional district encompasses all of Sarasota, DeSoto, and Hardee County, and most of Manatee County, except for a small northern coastal portion in District 11. ... Location in the state of Illinois Formed January 16, 1836 Seat Geneva Area  - Total  - Water 1,357 km² (524 mi²) 9 km² (4 mi²) 0. ... Official language(s) English Capital Olympia Largest city Seattle Area  Ranked 18th  - Total 71,342 sq mi (184,827 km²)  - Width 240 miles (385 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 6. ... Nickname: Location of Denver in Colorado Location of Colorado in the United States Coordinates: , Country United States State Colorado City-County Denver (coextensive) Founded [1] November 22, 1858 Incorporated November 7, 1861 Government  - Type Strong Mayor/Weak Council  - Mayor John Hickenlooper (D) Area [1]  - City & County  154. ... Wikipedia encoded in Code 128_B A barcode (also bar code) is a machine-readable representation of information in a visual format on a surface. ... Sequoia Voting Systems is a company based in California, and one of the largest providers of electronic voting systems in the US. Some of its main competitors are Diebold Election Systems and Election Systems & Software. ...

Ramifications

Many political analysts concluded that the results of the election were based around President George W. Bush's policies in the War in Iraq and corruption in Congress.^[73][74] At a press conference given to address the election results, President Bush called the cumulative results of the election a "thumpin'" by the Democrats.^[75] For other uses, see President of the United States (disambiguation). ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States, inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... There have been three conflicts in the late 20th century and early 21st century called Gulf War, all of which refer to conflicts in the Persian Gulf region: Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) (aka First Gulf War). ...

Democratic agenda

Democrats have promised an agenda that includes withdrawing from the war in Iraq,^[76] raising the minimum wage, implementing all of the 9/11 Commission recommendations, eliminating subsidies for oil companies, restricting lobbyists, repealing tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, lowering interest rates on college loans, expanding stem-cell research, investigating political appointees for actions taken during and leading to the war in Iraq, allowing current tax cuts to expire,^[77] and negotiating Medicare prescription drug prices. They plan to legislate these issues within their first 100 legislative hours of power in January 2007.^[78] According to Brian Wright, president of Democrasource, LLC (an Ohio based national political consulting group), “There’s no question, the administration and Iraq set the tone for this year. This new balance of power can be a true catalyst to get the country back on track." There have been three conflicts in the late 20th century and early 21st century called Gulf War, all of which refer to conflicts in the Persian Gulf region: Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) (aka First Gulf War). ... The minimum wage is the minimum rate a worker can legally be paid (usually per hour) as opposed to wages that are determined by the forces of supply and demand in a free market. ... The Commissions seal The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, also known as the 9/11 Commission, was set up in late 2002 to prepare a full and complete account of the circumstances surrounding the September 11, 2001 attacks, including preparedness for and the immediate response... Student loans are loans offered to students to assist in payment of the costs of professional education. ... Mouse embryonic stem cells. ... There have been three conflicts in the late 20th century and early 21st century called Gulf War, all of which refer to conflicts in the Persian Gulf region: Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) (aka First Gulf War). ... President Johnson signing the Medicare amendment. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ...

Six-point plan

Prior to the election in July 2006 Democrats unveiled a six-point plan they promised to enact if elected with congressional majorities. The plan was billed the "Six for 06 agenda" and officially called "A New Direction For America"^[79] and compared to the 1994 Republican "Contract with America".^[80] The six-points of the plan include: "honest leadership and open government, real security, energy independence, economic prosperity and educational excellence, a healthcare system that works for everyone, and retirement security".^[81] The Contract with America was a document released by the Republican Party of the United States during the 1994 Congressional election campaign. ...

• Real security
  • In regards to "real security" they propose a "phased redeployment" of U.S. forces from Iraq, doubling the size of U.S. military special forces to capture Osama Bin Laden and destroy terrorist groups such as al Qaeda, and implementing the 9/11 Commission proposals to secure the national borders of the United States and screen every container arriving at U.S. ports.

• Economic prosperity and educational excellence
  • Democratic plans for economic prosperity include ending the congressional pay raise until the federal minimum wage is raised and withholding tax breaks from U.S. companies that outsource jobs to foreign countries. Within education they plan to cut college loan rates, expand federal grants, and ensure that funds used for college tuition are not taxed.

• Energy independence
  • The Democratic plan for achieving an end to American dependence on foreign countries for oil consists of repealing tax incentives given to oil companies, higher penalties for price gouging gasoline products, increasing tax incentives and funding for the research and development of technologies intended to improve fuel-efficiency and creating viable alternative fuel supplies such as biofuels.

The withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq has been a contentious issue within the United States since the beginning of the Iraq War. ... The United States Special Operations Forces is the official category which the United States Department of Defense lists the U.S. military units that have a training specialization in unconventional warfare and special operations. ... Osama bin Muhammad bin Awad bin Laden (Arabic: ‎; born March 10, 1957[1]), most often mentioned as Osama bin Laden or Usama bin Laden, is a Saudi Arabian militant Islamist and is widely believed to be one of the founders of the organization called al-Qaeda. ... Map of major attacks attributed to al-Qaeda (also al-Qaida or al-Qaida or al-Qaidah) (Arabic: ‎ , translation: The Base) is an international alliance of militant Sunni jihadist organizations. ... The minimum wage is the minimum rate a worker can legally be paid (usually per hour) as opposed to wages that are determined by the forces of supply and demand in a free market. ... Outsourcing became part of the business lexicon during the 1980s and refers to the delegation of non-core operations from internal production to an external entity specializing in the management of that operation. ... The Pell Grant program is a post-secondary education subsidy run by the Federal government of the United States, and is the largest need-based grant aid program in the country. ... Synthetic motor oil An oil is any substance that is in a viscous liquid state (oily) at ambient temperatures or slightly warmer, and is both hydrophobic (immiscible with water, literally water fearing) and lipophilic (miscible with other oils, literally fat loving). This general definition includes compound classes with otherwise unrelated... Price gouging is a term of variable, but nearly always pejorative, meaning, referring to a sellers asking a price that is much higher than what is seen as fair under the circumstances. ... Biofuel is any fuel that derives from biomass _ recently living organisms or their metabolic byproducts, such as manure from cows. ...

Domestic

Donald Rumsfeld

With apparent reference to the impact of the Iraq war policy, in a press conference held on November 8, Bush talked about the election and announced the resignation of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Bush stated, "I know there's a lot of speculation on what the election means for the battle we're waging in Iraq. I recognize that many Americans voted last night to register their displeasure with the lack of progress being made there." Prior to the election, Bush had stated that he intended to keep Rumsfeld on as Secretary of Defense until the end of his Presidency. However, Bush then went on to add Rumsfeld's resignation was not due to the Democratic victories on November 8. Rumsfeld's job reportedly had been on the line for several months prior to the election, and the decision for him to stay until after the election, if he was going to be let go at all, was also reportedly made several months earlier. All this led to his resignation.^[82] The United States Secretary of Defense is the head of the United States Department of Defense, concerned with the armed services and The Secretary is a member of the Presidents Cabinet. ... Donald Henry Rumsfeld (born July 9, 1932) is a U.S. Republican politician and businessman, who was the 13th Secretary of Defense under President Gerald Ford from 1975 to 1977, and the 21st Secretary of Defense under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2006. ...

Republican leadership

On the same day, then Speaker of the House, Representative Dennis Hastert of the 14th Congressional District of Illinois, said he would not seek the Minority Leader position for the 110th Congress. Federal courts Supreme Court Chief Justice Associate Justices Elections Presidential elections Midterm elections Political Parties Democratic Republican Third parties State & Local government Governors Legislatures (List) State Courts Counties, Cities, and Towns Other countries Politics Portal      The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives is the presiding officer of the... John Dennis Denny Hastert (born January 2, 1942) is an American politician. ... Official language(s) English[1] Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Largest metro area Chicago Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq mi (149,998 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 390 miles (629 km)  - % water 4. ... In U.S. politics, the minority leader is the Floor Leader of the second-largest caucus in a legislative body. ... The 110th United States Congress will be in session from noon on January 3, 2007 until noon on January 3, 2009. ...

Voting trends

In the aftermath of the election The Weekly Standard published a number of articles highly critical of how the Republican Party had managed the United States Congress. It called the electoral defeat for the G.O.P. "only a little short" of "devastating" saying the "party of reform... didn't reform anything" and warned that the Democratic Party has expanded its "geographical sphere of Democratic power" to formerly Republican-held states such as Montana, Colorado, Arizona, Wyoming, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota while it solidified former swing states like Illinois as Democratic strongholds. In the New England region, popular Republican Senator Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island was defeated, despite having approval ratings near 60% and Republicans now only control a single district, the CT-04 seat held by Chris Shays, out of 22 congressional districts. The Democrats also became the clear majority in the Mid Atlantic region as well. Two Republican incumbent Congressmen were defeated in New York state and the Democrats picked up a Republican open seat, all from Republican regions upstate, and four Republican Congressmen were defeated in Pennsylvania. Democrats picked up seats in all Northeastern state legislatures holding elections, except Rhode Island, which remained unchanged (and Democrats clearly in the majority), winning a supermajority in both the Connecticut House and Senate, and winning both houses of the New Hampshire legislature for the first time since 1874. Democrats kept both vulnerable Senate seats in Maryland and New Jersey, winning them by wider margins than predicted, and they won the heavily contested Senate seats in Missouri and Virginia. The Weekly Standard is an American neoconservative [1] magazine published 48 times per year. ... Official language(s) English[1] Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Largest metro area Chicago Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq mi (149,998 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 390 miles (629 km)  - % water 4. ... Lincoln Davenport Chafee (IPA pronunciation: , [CHAY-fee]) (born March 26, 1953) is a former United States Senator from Rhode Island. ... “RI” redirects here. ... Christopher H. Shays, usually known as Chris Shays (born October 18, 1945), American politician, has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives since 1987, representing the 4th District of Connecticut, which includes 17 towns in Southwest Connecticut. ... The Mid-Atlantic region of the United States of America, located in the northeastern section of the country, includes the following states and district: Delaware Maryland New Jersey New York Pennsylvania Washington, D.C. West Virginia Virginia These areas provided the young United States with heavy industry and served as... “NY” redirects here. ... Capital Harrisburg Largest city Philadelphia Area  Ranked 33rd  - Total 46,055 sq mi (119,283 km²)  - Width 280 miles (455 km)  - Length 160 miles (255 km)  - % water 2. ... “RI” redirects here. ... A supermajority or a qualified majority is a requirement for a proposal to gain a specified level or type of support which exceeds a simple majority in order to have effect. ... Official language(s) None (English, de facto) Capital Annapolis Largest city Baltimore Area  Ranked 42nd  - Total 12,407 sq mi (32,133 km²)  - Width 90 miles (145 km)  - Length 249 miles (400 km)  - % water 21  - Latitude 37° 53′ N to 39° 43′ N  - Longitude 75° 03′ W to 79° 29... Official language(s) English de facto Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Area  Ranked 47th  - Total 8,729 sq mi (22,608 km²)  - Width 70 miles (110 km)  - Length 150 miles (240 km)  - % water 14. ... Official language(s) English Capital Jefferson City Largest city Kansas City Largest metro area St Louis[1] Area  Ranked 21st  - Total 69,709 sq mi (180,693 km²)  - Width 240 miles (385 km)  - Length 300 miles (480 km)  - % water 1. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ...

The Democratic expansion into Indiana, Virginia, and Ohio has "seriously diminished the chances for future Republican success" it claimed. The paper, which has been described as the "quasi-official organ of the Bush Administration"^[83] also stated that more people would have to "bendover" to get anywhere in a political office and has called on Republicans to move to the center for the sake of the party's future viability saying "conservatives won't want to hear this, but the Republican who maneuvered his way into the most impressive victory... won ... after moving to the center" and that "the South is not enough space to build a national governing majority".^[84][85]

International

Asia

• The government of the People's Republic of China is said to be nervous about the effect a Democratic-led Congress might have on its exports to the United States market and the possible controversy that could result because of the country's human rights record. Nancy Pelosi, who became the Speaker of the House, is a noted critic of Chinese policy. Concerns likely to be raised include the undervalued Chinese currency, blamed by some for the recent losses in the American manufacturing industry, and issues such as internet censorship, piracy, limited market access within China itself for companies based in the U.S., and religious freedom.^[86] The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu stated that she hoped the United States would play a "constructive role" in maintaining "sound, healthy and stable relations between China and the U.S.".^[87]

Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Peoples_Republic_of_China. ... Human rights are rights which some hold to be inalienable and belonging to all humans. ... Nancy Patricia DAlesandro Pelosi (born March 26, 1940) is currently the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. ... ISO 4217 Code CNY User(s) Mainland of the Peoples Republic of China Inflation 1. ... Internet censorship is control or suppression of the publishing or accessing of information on the Internet. ... The flag of 18th-century pirate Calico Jack Piracy is a robbery committed at sea, or sometimes on the shore, by an agent without a commission from a sovereign nation. ... Freedom of religion is the individuals right or freedom to hold whatever religious beliefs he or she wishes, or none at all. ... The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Peoples Republic of China (中華人民共和國外交部) is responsible for foreign relations between China and other countries in the world. ...

Europe

• Belgian Minister of Defence André Flahaut expressed his approval of Rumsfeld's resignation. He said Rumsfeld was "obstinate", and he hoped that the elections would bring upon a change in the United States' foreign policy.^[88]
• Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen said he hoped that President Bush and the newly-elected Congress could find common ground and resolve issues regarding the War in Afghanistan and the War in Iraq. Rasmussen also said Denmark would keep its troops in Iraq and neither the election nor the resignation of Donald Rumsfeld would change government foreign policies.^[88]
• France's Minister of Defence Michele Alliot-Marie said that her American counterpart, Donald Rumsfeld, had "taken the consequences" of an election in which voters punished the government over the war in Iraq.^[88] The former Socialist Prime Minister of France, Laurent Fabius, was quoted as saying, ""A lot of Americans have realised that Mr. Bush has lied to them."^[89]
• The German Foreign Office's coordinator for German-American cooperation, Karsten D. Voigt, said that he believed that the Democratic-controlled Congress will be more cooperative with the world, but he expects that Europeans will have to carry more influence on such foreign issues of importance, such as the war in Iraq and in Afghanistan, and the nuclear weapon programs of North Korea and Iran. Voigt further stated that Europe needed to develop a stronger relationship with the United States, especially with newly elected Congressional politicians. Voigt went on to say that doing so would help "better convey European positions on major international issues and make concerted efforts to find constructive political solutions for the future."^[88]
• Labour Party Member of Parliament John McDonnell, a critic of United Kingdom Prime Minister Tony Blair, said, "the message of the American people is clear -- there needs to be a major change of direction in Iraq. Just as in Britain, people in the US feel that they have been ill advised, misled and ignored."^[89] McDonnell, who became the first Labour Party MP to announce that he would stand for leadership in 2007, also said, "These election results have not only damaged Bush, they mean that Blair is now totally isolated in the international community."^[89]
• Prime Minister of Italy, Romano Prodi, believed that it was Bush's Iraq policy that had led to the complete turnover in the elections. He said that Bush would "have to negotiate with the opposition on all issues."^[89]
• The ruling Spanish Socialist Workers' Party responded to the elections stating that they hoped the elections "would help to change the course of US foreign policy."^[89]

Image File history File links Flag_of_Belgium_(civil). ... A defence minister (Commonwealth English) or defense minister (American English) is a cabinet portfolio (position) which regulates the armed forces in a sovereign nation. ... André Flahaut is a Belgian politician. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Denmark. ... This is a list over the heads of government in Denmark, from the establishment of a constitutional monarchy in 1849 until present. ... Anders Fogh Rasmussen , also: (born January 26, 1953) is the current Prime Minister of Denmark (in Danish Statsminister, meaning State Minister). ... Wars during the History of Afghanistan include: The First Anglo-Afghan War The Second Anglo-Afghan War The Third Anglo-Afghan War The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan The U.S. invasion of Afghanistan This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share... There have been three conflicts in the late 20th century and early 21st century called Gulf War, all of which refer to conflicts in the Persian Gulf region: Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) (aka First Gulf War). ... Donald Henry Rumsfeld (born July 9, 1932) is a U.S. Republican politician and businessman, who was the 13th Secretary of Defense under President Gerald Ford from 1975 to 1977, and the 21st Secretary of Defense under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2006. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... The Minister of Defence (Ministre de la Défense) is the French government cabinet member charged with running the military of France. ... Michèle Alliot-Marie Michèle Alliot-Marie (born 10 September 1946) is the French Minister of Defence. ... Donald Henry Rumsfeld (born July 9, 1932) is a U.S. Republican politician and businessman, who was the 13th Secretary of Defense under President Gerald Ford from 1975 to 1977, and the 21st Secretary of Defense under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2006. ... The Socialist Party (Parti Socialiste, PS) is one of the largest political parties in France. ... The Prime Minister of France (Premier ministre de la France) is the functional head of the Cabinet of France. ... Laurent Fabius (born 20 August 1946) is a former Socialist Prime Minister of France. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany. ... The German Foreign Office (in German, Auswärtiges Amt, or AA) is the foreign ministry of the Federal Republic of Germany, and is responsible for both its foreign politics and its relationship to the European Union. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_Kingdom. ... The Labour Party is an Anti-English political party in the United Kingdom. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling. ... The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is, in practice, the political leader of the United Kingdom. ... For other people of the same name, see Tony Blair (disambiguation) Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born May 6, 1953)[1] is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, Leader of the Labour Party, and Member of Parliament for the constituency... The 2007 Labour Party Leadership Election campaign is already underway, but is still awaiting an announcement of a vacancy by Tony Blair which is to be followed within 72 hours by a meeting of Labours NEC to decide a timetable. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy. ... In Italy, the President of the Council of Ministers (Italian: Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri) is the countrys prime minister or head of government, and occupies the fourth-most important state office. ...   (born 9 August 1939) is an Italian politician. ... George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the 43rd and current President of the United States, inaugurated on January 20, 2001. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Spain. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Middle East

• Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday called U.S. President George W. Bush's defeat in congressional elections a victory for Iran. "This issue (the elections) is not a purely domestic issue for America, but it is the defeat of Bush's hawkish policies in the world," Khamenei said in remarks reported by Iran's student news agency ISNA on Friday. "Since Washington's hostile and hawkish policies have always been against the Iranian nation, this defeat is actually an obvious victory for the Iranian nation." "The result of this election indicates that the majority of American people are dissatisfied and are fed up with the policies of the American administration," the IRNA state news agency quoted Ahmadinejad as saying.^[90]
  • In a letter to the American people released on Wednesday, November 29, 2006 via Iran's Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad wrote:

References

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 140th day of the year (141st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 140th day of the year (141st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Associated Press, or AP, is an American news agency, the worlds largest such organization. ... CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. Its current president is Sean McManus who is also head of CBS Sports. ... The Cable News Network, commonly known as CNN, is a major cable television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. ... The Associated Press, or AP, is an American news agency, the worlds largest such organization. ... NPR logo For other meanings of NPR see NPR (disambiguation) National Public Radio (NPR) is a private, not-for-profit corporation that sells programming to member radio stations; together they are a loosely organized public radio network in the United States. ... NPR logo For other meanings of NPR see NPR (disambiguation) National Public Radio (NPR) is a private, not-for-profit corporation that sells programming to member radio stations; together they are a loosely organized public radio network in the United States. ... The Cable News Network, commonly known as CNN, is a major cable television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. ... The Deseret Morning News is a newspaper published in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Utahs oldest continually published daily newspaper. ... The Cable News Network, commonly known as CNN, is a major cable television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. ... The E. W. Scripps Company is a media conglomerate founded by Edward W. Scripps on November 2, 1878 originally known as the Cleveland Penny Press. ... An advocate is one who speaks on behalf of another, especially in a legal context. ... The Associated Press, or AP, is an American news agency, the worlds largest such organization. ... The Cable News Network, commonly known as CNN, is a major cable television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. ... is the 312th day of the year (313th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... MSNBC, a combination of MSN and NBC, is a 24-hour cable news channel in the United States and Canada, and a news website. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 314th day of the year (315th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Todays San Francisco Chronicle was founded in 1865 as The Daily Dramatic Chronicle by teenage brothers Charles de Young and Michael H. de Young. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 318th day of the year (319th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Constitution Party is a conservative United States political party. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 312th day of the year (313th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Dallas Morning News is the major daily newspaper serving the Dallas, Texas area. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 318th day of the year (319th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Washington Post is the largest newspaper in Washington, D.C.. It is also one of the citys oldest papers, having been founded in 1877. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 113th day of the year (114th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Cable News Network, commonly known as CNN, is a major cable television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 113th day of the year (114th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Founded in 1984, [The Cook Political Report] is an independent, non-partisan newsletter that analyzes elections and campaigns for the US House of Representatives, US Senate, Governors and President as well as American political trends. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 113th day of the year (114th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... ABC News Special Report ident, circa 2006 ABC News is a division of American television and radio network ABC, owned by The Walt Disney Company. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 103rd day of the year (104th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Sunlight Foundation was founded in January 2006 with the goal of using the revolutionary power of the Internet and new information technology to enable citizens to learn more about what Congress and their elected representatives are doing, and thus help reduce corruption, ensure greater transparency and accountability by government... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 103rd day of the year (104th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Associated Press, or AP, is an American news agency, the worlds largest such organization. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... April 14 is the 104th day of the year (105th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 261 days remaining. ... MSNBC, a combination of MSN and NBC, is a 24-hour cable news channel in the United States and Canada, and a news website. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 103rd day of the year (104th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Washington Post is the largest newspaper in Washington, D.C.. It is also one of the citys oldest papers, having been founded in 1877. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 114th day of the year (115th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... ABC News Special Report ident, circa 2006 ABC News is a division of American television and radio network ABC, owned by The Walt Disney Company. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 113th day of the year (114th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The Columbus Dispatch is a daily newspaper, based in Columbus, Ohio, that serves the central portion of the state. ... The Boston Globe (and Boston Sunday Globe) is the most widely circulated daily newspaper in Boston, Massachusetts and New England. ... The Sarasota Herald-Tribune is a daily newspaper located in Sarasota, Florida. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... The Associated Press, or AP, is an American news agency, the worlds largest such organization. ... The Associated Press, or AP, is an American news agency, the worlds largest such organization. ... The Morning Call is a daily newspaper based in Allentown, Pennsylvania. ... The Associated Press, or AP, is an American news agency, the worlds largest such organization. ... Reuters Group plc (LSE: RTR and NASDAQ: RTRSY); pron. ... Reuters Group plc (LSE: RTR and NASDAQ: RTRSY); pron. ... MSNBC, a combination of MSN and NBC, is a 24-hour cable news channel in the United States and Canada, and a news website. ... KPVI is the local NBC affiliate for Idaho Falls and Pocatello, Idaho. ... The Miami Herald is a daily newspaper owned by Knight Ridder. ... Ars Technica is a technology-related website catering to PC enthusiasts. ... The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago. ... MSNBC, a combination of MSN and NBC, is a 24-hour cable news channel in the United States and Canada, and a news website. ... The Sarasota Herald-Tribune is a daily newspaper located in Sarasota, Florida. ... The El Paso Times is the newspaper for the city of El Paso, Texas. ... The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago. ... The Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel is the main daily newspaper of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and all of Broward County. ... Computerworld is an IT magazine that provides information to technology managers. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... The Center for American Progress is a progressive American political policy research and advocacy organization. ... ... The Miami Herald is a daily newspaper owned by Knight Ridder. ... // The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois and owned by the Tribune Company. ... The daily Seattle Post-Intelligencer is the second leading newspaper in Seattle, Washington, United States. ... The Rocky Mountain News is a daily morning tabloid-format newspaper published in Denver, Colorado. ... The Rocky Mountain News is a daily morning tabloid-format newspaper published in Denver, Colorado. ... The Rocky Mountain News is a daily morning tabloid-format newspaper published in Denver, Colorado. ... ... is the 312th day of the year (313th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... is the 312th day of the year (313th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... MarketWatch is the operator of a leading business news and information Website that provides headline news, analysis and stock market data to some 6 million people. ... The Associated Press, or AP, is an American news agency, the worlds largest such organization. ... The Cable News Network, commonly known as CNN, is a major cable television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. ... Nancy Patricia DAlesandro Pelosi (born March 26, 1940) is currently the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. ... The Cable News Network, commonly known as CNN, is a major cable television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. ... Former Vermont Governor Dr. Howard Dean is the current Chairman of the DNC. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the principal campaign and fund-raising organization affiliated with the United States Democratic Party. ... Former Vermont Governor Dr. Howard Dean is the current Chairman of the DNC. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the principal campaign and fund-raising organization affiliated with the United States Democratic Party. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... is the 314th day of the year (315th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A Ted Rall cartoon depicting John Kerry and George W. Bush. ... is the 268th day of the year (269th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Free Republic is a for-profit, non-tax exempt [1] moderated Internet forum, activist and chat site for conservatives, primarily within the United States. ... is the 312th day of the year (313th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Weekly Standard is an American Conservative political magazine published 48 times per year. ... is the 312th day of the year (313th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Weekly Standard is an American Conservative political magazine published 48 times per year. ... AFP logo Paris headquarters of AFP Charles Havas Agence France-Presse (AFP) is the oldest news agency in the world, and one of the three largest with Associated Press and Reuters. ... AFP logo Paris headquarters of AFP Charles Havas Agence France-Presse (AFP) is the oldest news agency in the world, and one of the three largest with Associated Press and Reuters. ... Reuters Group plc (LSE: RTR and NASDAQ: RTRSY); pron. ...

External links

• E-voting state by state: What you need to know, Computerworld, 1 November 2006
• Election coverage on the Tavis Smiley show
• Better World Links on the U.S. Midterm Elections 2006 > 1500 links
• U.S. Midterm Election News Coverage - Comprehensive news coverage of all election campaigns and candidates
• BSRS Newsservice Coverage of US Midterm Elections - Humorous coverage of the all national and state-wide races in the 2006 midterm elections

is the 305th day of the year (306th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Tavis Smiley (born September 13, 1964 in Biloxi, Mississippi) is an American radio and television personality. ...