Tuesday elections show Republican party is strengthening

Pundits predicting the imminent defeat of the Republican party in the next round of elections might need to reevaluate that conclusion following the Republican upset of a long-held Democratic house seat and a landslide senate victory in Nevada. 

ALBANY, NY (Catholic Online) - Republican Bob Turner won a house seat in a district that has traditionally been dominated by Democrats. And in Nevada, a special election ensured Republicans kept another seat as Mark Amodei defeated Democrat Kate Marshall in a landslide.

A Republican email sent Tuesday night credited the President's policies for the victories. "The President was not on the ballot tonight, but his failed policies were an albatross for the Democrats who were. By defeating two hand-picked Democrat candidates, you sent Obama a loud and clear message."

Many political analysts have cited Congress's declining approval ratings and the drop in popularity for the Tea Party following the debt ceiling debate in August as a harbinger that the Republicans would be swept out of office in the next round of elections, but Tuesday's results challenge that assumption. Obama's polls have continued to decline, and his reelection chances are on the decline as Republicans carefully chose who will be most likely to defeat him in 2012.

Even Obama's Jobs for America Act, expected to provide the president with a bounce in the ratings and to form the basis of his reelection campaign, appears to have fallen flat. Polls announced Tuesday show that most Americans disagree with the President on the Jobs Act and do not believe it will help the economy.

The New York seat was vacated after Democrat Anthony Weiner resigned amid a scandal involving sexually provocative messages sent to women he met online. And while the urban district covering Brooklyn and Queens has three times as many registered Democrats as Republicans, it's believed that many dissatisfied Democrats, particularly Jewish voters, crossed party lines and supported Republican hopeful Bob Turner. Obama's lackluster relations with Israel are being blamed.
 
In Nevada, Mark Amodei won a senate district that spans Reno and much of northern Nevada. Amodei's district has been traditionally Republican. Analysts see it as a sign that traditional Republican districts will likely stay in Republican hands, but the same cannot be said for Democratic districts.

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