Why did Republicans sweep the midterm elections?

With the GOP taking the Senate by a wider margin than expected, analysts debate what it says about the electorate

November 5, 2014 11:00AM ET

by Inside Story Team @AJInsideStoryAM

Although President Barack Obama’s name did not appear on midterm ballots on Tuesday, he was on the minds of those who went to vote.

“You know, it’s time for some changes all the way around,” said Evelyn Duncan, a Kentucky voter.

“I think, as much as anything, it was probably a vote against Obama,” said Linda Smith, another Kentuckian.

Republicans like Colorado Republican Senator-elect Cory Gardner are hailing the elections as a triumph of people power.

‘Tonight we shook up the Senate. You shook up the Senate … The people of Colorado, voters around this state had their voices heard. They are not red. They are not blue. But they are crystal clear in their message to Washington, D.C. – ‘Get your job done and get the heck out of the way.’’

Cory Gardner

Colorado Republican senator-elect

More bluntly, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina tweeted, “In a word — Blowout! Wake up Mr. President, get engaged. #GOP”

Underlying all the celebration and commiseration at the top, voters appeared to strike a universal tune: frustration.

“I came to vote because of how disgruntled I am with how the two political parties have been acting these past four years,” said Brandon Gustophsen.

“‘Compromise’ has become a sort of bad word, and it is not,” Caroline Price said. “It means just getting the job done.”

‘[It is] very frustrating, especially when you see the funding of the super PACs and how the commercials here are very attack friendly. It is really hard to define what the person is actually standing for and how they separate themselves from their own party.’

Bern Constant

voter

“Hopefully, we voted in the right people this time and there will be changes that need to be made or continue to be made,” Ariane Irvine said.

The demographics of people who came out to vote Tuesday were virtually unchanged from 2010. According to a national exit poll, 75 percent of voters this year were Caucasian, 12 percent were African-American, and 8 percent were Hispanic.

So if demographics have stayed the same, it seems that frustration was the driving force behind voters on Tuesday. According to the exit poll, 78 percent of voters said they disapproved of the way Congress was handling its job, and 55 percent said they disapproved of the way President Barack Obama was handling his job.

Voter Bethany Horseman of Arlington, Virginia, is one of the many people unhappy with Congress. “There is a lot of ingrained attitudes. It is frustrating,” she said. “It is definitely disengaging.”

Still, she hopes Congress can improve. “When you get the extreme pole out of the party — both sides, really — that should help,” she said. “Maybe it is a far-flung wish, but it is my hope.”

Which demographic groups helped Republicans prevail in the midterm elections?

What policies do those who voted in a GOP-controlled Senate want it to follow?

Will the midterm elections lead to bipartisanship or more gridlock?

We asked for our panel of experts for the Inside Story.