President Obama meanwhile addressed the election results with a news conference at the White House. Obama called the outcome “humbling” and said frustration with the economy had fueled the Democrats’ losses.

President Obama: “Over the last two years, we’ve made progress. But clearly, too many Americans haven’t felt that progress yet, and they told us that yesterday. And as president, I take responsibility for that. What yesterday also told us is that no one party will be able to dictate where we go from here, that we must find common ground in order to set — in order to make progress on some uncommonly difficult challenges.”

In an apparent nod to Republicans’ electoral gains, President Obama made no mention of his call to end Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and suggested he may abandon a key energy bill stalled in the Senate.