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 …

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.

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.

Jon Stewart Didn't Vote Today (VIDEO)  —  Jon Stewart may have covered every bizarre moment of this year's midterm election, but he didn't cast a vote in it.  —  The host of “The Daily Show” told CNN's Christiane Amanpour during an interview on Tuesday that he had abstained this year.

The Minimum Wage In Wisconsin  —  Wisconsin isn't one of the five states with a statewide ballot initiative on the minimum wage tonight.  But you'd be forgiven for thinking it was — Democrats have tried to make the minimum wage one of the dominant issues of Wisconsin's gubernatorial campaign.

Election Night Takeaways  —  This wasn't just a bad night for Democrats.  This was a downright drubbing.  —  So, what happened?  —  All Politics Is National: Democrats believed they could help isolate and insulate their vulnerable Democrats from an unpopular president by making each contest about the individual candidates.