# 2014 Midterm Elections Second-term [[Barack Obama]] administration midterm. Republicans gained ~13 House seats (already had majority) and ~9 Senate seats, taking the Senate. The drivers: continued Affordable Care Act unpopularity, Obama administration second-term doldrums, an unfavorable Democratic Senate map (many 2008-class Democrats defending), and the lowest midterm voter turnout since 1942 (~37%). The result substantially constrained Obama's last two years. ## Result - **House:** Republicans gained ~13 seats; expanded majority (~247 of 435 Republicans vs. ~188 Democrats in the 114th Congress) — largest Republican House majority since 1928 - **Senate:** Republicans gained ~9 seats; took majority (~54 of 100 Republicans vs. ~44 Democrats and 2 Independents) - **Chambers flipped:** Senate — flipped to Republican - **Net change:** Major Republican gains; complete congressional control ## Notable - **[[Mitch McConnell]]** became Senate Majority Leader January 2015 - **[[Joni Ernst]]** (IA) elected to Senate — the first woman senator from Iowa - **[[Tom Cotton]]** (AR) elected to Senate — defeated two-term incumbent Mark Pryor - The 114th Republican Senate would use procedural mechanisms to block Obama judicial nominations including the unprecedented 2016 **[[Merrick Garland]] blockade** of Obama's Supreme Court nominee - Voter turnout (~37%) was the lowest national-election turnout since 1942 ## Connections - [[Barack Obama]] — Sitting president; his last two years were substantially blocked by the Republican Senate.