Regulations and Government
Congressional Observer: December 2006
• Election Day results delivered a knockout blow to Republican hopes of retaining the majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate.

• Election Day results delivered a knockout blow to Republican hopes of retaining the majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate. The first blow came as Democrats gained control of the House by the end of the day. Two days later, the last punch came as Republican Sen. George Allen of Virginia, considered a shoo-in for reelection, conceded the election to Democrat James Webb, one time Secretary of the Navy. The election gave the Democrats 51 seats in the Senate.

President Bush was quick to respond to what he called an electoral “thumping” by replacing Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld with Robert Gates, a former Central Intelligence Agency director. He had previously stated that he would keep Rumsfeld in the job in spite of numerous opposition demands that he resign or be fired.