Politics

GOP Reacts To Election Surprises

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

November 3, 1998 / 8:42 AM EST / CBS

The Democrats' strong election showing Tuesday in House and Senate races left Republicans rethinking their strategy while strengthening President Clinton's hand in his battle to avoid impeachment.

House Speaker Newt Gingrich told CBS News early Wednesday that he was surprised by the results. Later, he expressed regret.

CBS News Chief Washington Correspondent Bob Schieffer Reports.

CBS News Senior White House Correspondent Scott Pelley Reports.

"I take responsibility -- I am the speaker of the House, I led the Republican team in the House," he said. "We in the House should have been more consistent and more agressive."

Pundits & Pols React: Click here to see latest interviews on CBS News.

White House press secretary Joe Lockhart said President Clinton was "very pleased" with the election results, reports CBS News White House Correspondent Mark Knoller.

Asked if the election outcome will affect the impeachment process, Lockhart urged reporters to put the question to Republicans, who "are driving the process."

Lockhart said the election shows that voters will respond to a future-oriented message about issues they care about, such as Social Security, a health care bill of rights, and education.

The Democrats scored surprise victories across the board in Congress and in statehouse races, including populous California.

On a night when Minnesota voters elected a former professional wrestler as their next governor, the evening's biggest surprises were reserved for Republicans, who had been expected to make modest gains in the House and Senate and perhaps add a governor's chair or two to their tally.

A strong turnout by black voters in key races and a backlash against efforts to turn the Lewinsky scandal into an election issue helped Democrats to buck a historical trend and pick up five seats in the House while battling Republicans to a draw in the Senate.

Victory Moments: A Slide Show of Some Winners

The Democratic gains are much more notable because the president's party has lost an average of 27 seats in the House and four in the Senate in midterm elections since World War II. This is the first time since the 1800s that the president's party gained seats in a midterm election.

Democrats did so well in the House of Representatives that CBS News predicts that when all is said and done, they will have picked up five seats. Only one race in Oregon is yet to be decided. Democrats had been expected to lose ground in the House, where Republicans held a 228-206 advantage [with one independent] prior to the election.

In governor races, all of which now have been decided, neither the Democrats nor the Republicans have gained any edge.

In the GOP-controlled Senate, Democrats ousted Republican senators in New York and North Carolina, and staved off stiff Republican challenges in South Carolina and California. Republicans ended the day with the same 55-45 majority that they started with.

Californians re-elected Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, after a neck-and-neck battle with Republican challenger Matt Fong.
But no triumph was more important for Democrats than the New York Senate race. Democrats picked up a key seat as veteran GOP Sen. Alfonse D'Amato fell to Democratic challenger Charles Schumer.

The New York Senate race was among the most hotly contested battles in the nation, with both candidates relying on hefty war chests to hurl negative attacks at one another.

In North Carolina, Democrats picked up another Senate seat. Democrat John Edwards narrowly beat out Republican incumbent Lauch Faircloth.

And Democrat Ernest Hollings will hold on to his South Carolina Senate seat, which the GOP had hoped to capture.

It wasn't all bad news for the GOP though. One big victory came in a very close Kentucky Senate battle. Republican Jim Bunning held off Democrat Scott Baesler, picking up the seat vacated by retirig Democrat Wendell H. Ford.

In the most closely watched gubernatorial contest of the night, Democrat Gray Davis held off GOP candidate Dan Lungren in California. With state races playing an important role in redrawing congressional boundries after the 2000 census, Davis' victory in the nation's most populous state is viewed as a major setback for Republicans nationwide.

In other statehouse contests, Democrat Jim Hodges eked out a win in a very close South Carolina gubernatorial race with Republican Governor David Beasley. Democrats also won key statehouse races in Maryland and Alabama. But overall Republican incumbents were faring better in the gubernatorial races.

Third-party candidate and former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura won voters' approval in Minnesota with a campaign that appealed mostly to young people.

The black vote was proving to be a major factor in pushing Democrats to victory in a number of races. In North Carolina, blacks accounted for 20 percent of the vote. Ninety percent of blacks voted for Democrat Edwards, enough to lift him over Faircloth.

What Voters Said: A slide show of exit poll results.

Exit polls also indicated that voters were concerned with education, Social Security, and health care, issues that favored the Democrats.

The Lewinsky scandal ranked dead last in matters that voters were concerned about, according to exit polls.

Voters rejected the White House sex scandal as an issue. In fact, Democrats and Republicans were in rare agreement here. Fifty-eight percent of voters from both parties told CBS News that they did not feel the election was a referendum on whether President Clinton should stay in office.

In New Jersey, freshman Republican Rep. Mike Pappas of New Jersey received a backlash because of a political song-and-dance he gave four months ago. In July, Pappas came to the House floor to defend Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. Democratic challenger Rush Holt aired ads deriding Pappas' performance and calling him "out of tune (and) out of touch." On Tuesday, Pappas lost his seat to Holt.

With hearings on the Lewinsky matter scheduled to begin next week, the election will likely amplify calls for Congress to drop the probe and avoid an impeachment inquiry.

Voters expressed more interest in issues closer to home. When asked if the country was on the "right track," 60 percent answered "yes," while just 37 percent said "no." Eighty-six percent of voters told CBS News they were either doing as well or better than they were two years ago.

Voters also had their say on a handful of referenda this year. Among the most noteworthy results: Californians passed Proposition 5, allowing slots and card games at Indian casinos. Indians ad waged a high-priced war with the Las Vegas casino lobby, which wanted a "no" vote on the proposal.

In other referenda, three states, Nevada, Arizona, and Oregon, seemed to be giving a thumbs up to the medical use of marijuana. Alaska, Colorado, and Washington also took up the issue of medical marijuana, although results were not yet available.

Campaign finance continued to be a big issue in the '98 races. The cost to run for office approached stratospheric levels with this year. Common Cause estimated that House candidates raised $387 million and Senate candidates $243 million through Sept. 30 and fund-raising continued unabated until the final days of the campaign. The national parties raised an additional $162 million in "soft money" from special interests through Oct. 14, according to the organization, which advocates overhaul of campaign fundraising laws.

For their money, candidates often got a stable of pollsters, strategists, and advertising specialists who turned out a seemingly endless line of harsh commercials.

As they have in recent elections, Republicans far outspent the Democrats in House races. The campaign arm of the GOP caucus in the House spread an estimated $25 million throughout selected districts.