Independents help Republican elects

Although Republicans have gained control of the U.S. House of Representatives, IU professor James Perry said it’s not necessarily a win for the GOP.

“Independents have swung in the last two elections, and I’m not sure this election says anything about Republicans winning,” said Perry, a Distinguished Professor from the IU School of Public and Environmental Affairs. “Clearly a lot of people with ‘Rs’ got elected, but just perhaps like the last two elections it was the Independents saying, ‘we don’t see things your way.’”

Independent voters who supported Democrats in 2006 and 2008, swung to the Republican Party in Tuesday’s midterm elections, according to a study conducted by the Wall Street Journal.   

As of Wednesday evening, Republicans gained 60 seats in the House, giving them a majority of 239 seats.

In the State of Indiana, six out of the nine U.S. Congressional Districts went red.
IU SPEA professor Leslie Lenkowsky said this will give Indiana Republicans, including Rep. Mike Pence and Gov. Mitch Daniels, a solid foundation for a potential run for president. 

With Obama up for re-election in 2012, Lenkowsky said the shift in the House might actually serve as a beacon of hope for his campaign.

“Losing control of one or both Houses of Congress may be the best thing that would happen for President Obama’s chances of re-election because he’ll then be able to say, ‘I’m fighting for values we Democrats hold dear; The Republicans are getting in the way. You have to give your support,” Lenkowsky said.

Until then, Lenkowsky predicts Republicans will start trimming back on initiatives President Obama instigated. One such initiative consisted of increasing the size of AmeriCorps, a national community service program that employs men and women ages 18 to 24.    

“It’s supposed to grow from 75,000 members to 250,000 members, but it will only do that if Congress appropriates money to pay for those positions,” Lenkowsky said. “I would think under a Republican Congress they’ll be much less willing to appropriate money to keep the program on that growth path. They won’t kill it, but they will be very reluctant to see it expand that much.”

While Obama’s new health care plan could be repealed, Lenkowsky said it would be
very unlikely. 

“I doubt very much as long as President Obama is present that signature initiatives of his such as health care reform will be repealed,” Lenkowsky said. “What will happen is that their growth will slow down and they may be changed in certain ways to appeal in the leadership of the House.”

While two elections still remain undecided for the U.S. Senate, the Democrats have managed to maintain a small majority. 

Perry said a reason the Republican Party might not have won the Senate might have been because of the Tea Party’s presence.  

Nevertheless, Lenkowsky said the shift in the House represents the voice of the majority of voters. 

“You can’t fool the voters,” Lenkowsky said. “We’ve seen this time and time again.”