President Obama Left Fighting for His Own Relevance  —  WASHINGTON — Two things were clear long before the votes were counted on Tuesday night: President Obama would face a Congress with more Republicans for his final two years in office, and the results would be seen as a repudiation of his leadership.

A Republican Wave Sweeps the Midterm Elections  —  In an echo of 2010, the GOP overshot its targets, taking the Senate and winning House and statehouse races across the board.  Now what will they do?  —  LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Republicans took the Senate majority in a commanding sweep on Tuesday …

Midterm Elections 2014 Exit Polls: 6 Fast Facts on 6 Key States  —  According to preliminary exit poll data, here are six fast facts about voters in Virginia, Kentucky, Georgia, Colorado, New Hampshire and North Carolina.  —  Numbers will change as exit polls are updated and only reflect preliminary data.

Paul: Hillary Clinton ‘soundly rejected’  —  Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) on Tuesday portrayed the early Senate results as a repudiation of Hillary Clinton, a possible 2016 presidential rival.  —  “I think we're going to pick up enough [seats] to take over the Senate, and I think it is a repudiation basically …

Obama: Worst map since Eisenhower  —  Democrats are facing the worst midterm Senate map since President Dwight D. Eisenhower, President Obama bemoaned during an Election Day interview with a Connecticut radio station.  —  “There's no doubt that, when you look at the Senate races …

Recreational marijuana passes in Oregon: Oregon election results 2014  —  Oregon voters said yes to marijuana Tuesday, making the state the third to allow the possession and sale of cannabis for recreational rather than strictly medical use.  —  The crowd at the Southeast Portland club Holocene …

Berkeley breaks through on soda tax  —  Berkeley, Calif., a city known for its progressive politics, made history Tuesday night by approving the first real sin tax on soda in the United States.  —  Voters looked likely to approve Measure D, a penny-per-ounce tax, by a wide margin …

27 senators who voted for Obamacare won't be part of new Senate  —  BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL CONGRESS OBAMACARE SENATE HEALTH CARE 2014 ELECTIONS  —  On Dec. 24, 2009, the Democratic-controlled Senate passed President Obama's healthcare law with a filibuster-proof 60-vote majority …

Prop. 47 passes, reducing some crime penalties  —  Proposition 47, to reduce sentences for some crimes, passes, AP reports.  —  Penalties for common drug and theft crimes in California will be reduced from potential felonies to misdemeanors, shortening the time some offenders spend behind bars.

Wendy Davis Was The Face Of ‘War On Women’ Politics.  How'd That Go?  —  This was a year when the War on Women messaging — previously employed so successfully by the Democrats — failed to yield the desired results.  Most of the discussions about that failure have focused on Sen. Mark Udall of Colorado.

Tonight's darker omen for the GOP: Losing the Senate in 2016  —  BELTWAY CONFIDENTIAL CONGRESS BARACK OBAMA REPUBLICAN PARTY 2014 ELECTIONS 2016 ELECTIONS CAMPAIGNS  —  However well Republicans do tonight, President Obama will retain a veto pen.  That means GOP control of both chambers …

Voters' verdict explodes Democratic myths  —  As Democratic losses mounted in Senate races across the country on election night, some liberal commentators clung to the idea that dissatisfied voters were sending a generally anti-incumbent message, and not specifically repudiating Democratic officeholders.