The Democrats have seized control of the House for the first time in twelve years and could also take control of the Senate if they hold on to win two tight races in Montana and Virginia. Tuesday’s election marked a major defeat for the Bush administration and its Iraq war policy. The vote effectively ended the twelve-year Republican Revolution on Capitol Hill. In the House, the Democrats won at least 28 Republican-held seats. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is poised to become the country’s first female House Speaker. On Tuesday she said President Bush’s policy in Iraq must change.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi: “We cannot continue down this catastrophic path. And so we say to the president. Mr. President we need a new direction in Iraq.”

Election lawyers are flooding into Montana and Virginia. As we begin this broadcast, the Senate races in both states remain too close too call. In Virginia, with over 99% of the votes counted, the Democratic challenger James Webb has an 8,000 vote lead over incumbent George Allen. Webb proclaimed himself the winner last night but no news outlet has called the race. A state-financed recount seems all but certain and could mean the final outcome won’t be known for weeks. In Montana, the Democratic challenger Jon Tester is leading incumbent Conrad Burns by around 1,700 votes. Election officials in Yellowstone County said voting machine problems were delaying further results until later today.