Washington (CNN) -- A Republican tide ripped the Senate away from Democrats Tuesday, giving the GOP full control of Congress and the power to pin down President Barack Obama during his last two years in office.
The thumping win upends the balance of power between the White House and Capitol Hill only six years after Obama's Democrats swept to power and marginalized Republicans in a rush to reform health care, Wall Street and pass a huge stimulus package.
Now, it's Democrats who will take the back seat on Capitol Hill, relying mostly on the power of the
Sen. John McCain is expected to become the next chairman of the Armed Services Committee. McCain is a vocal critic of President Obama for being too soft on foreign policy. If he assumes the position, he will likely push for ground troops in Syria and Iraq in an effort to defeat ISIS.
Sen. Thad Cochran is in line to become chairman of the Appropriations Committee. The Mississippi Republican will have major influence over government funding as he oversees 13 spending bills for the next fiscal year.
Sen. Jeff Sessions is next in line to chair the Budget Committee. The Alabama senator is a budget hawk who is interested in cutting government spending and waste.
Sen. John Thune is set to chair the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. He would focus on business and trade legislation and oversight.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski would lead Energy and Natural Resources Committee. She is expected to push to lift the ban on exporting crude oil and build support for the Keystone XL Pipeline.
Sen. Jim Inhofe is in position to head the Environment and Public Works Committee. The Oklahoma Republican has voiced his skepticism against climate change claims, calling it "the most-media hyped environmental issue."
Sen. Orrin Hatch will lead the powerful tax-writing Finance Committee during a year many senators are clamoring to overhaul the tax code. He also has major influence on the Affordable Care Act and Medicare and Social Security.
Sen. Bob Corker will head the Foreign Relations Committee. He's been a chief critic of the White House on Syria and Iran but has also shown a willingness to work with President Obama.
Sen. Ron Johnson will lead the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. A critic of the administration's handling of Benghazi, the Wisconsin Republican is likely to conduct another investigation.
Sen. Lamar Alexander is set to be the next chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee. He is a proponent for education reform and would likely push to decrease government intervention in state education systems.
Sen. Chuck Grassley will become the next chairman of the Judiciary Committee. If Obama waits until next year to nominate a new attorney general, Grassley would play a key role in the confirmation process.
Sen. Richard Burr is a likely candidate for two chairmanship positions. He is currently the ranking member of the Veteran Affairs Committee, but is also the next in line to chair the Intelligence Committee and has expressed interest in that panel. He has yet to decide which post he will take.
If Sen. Burr does not accept the Veteran Affairs Committee chairmanship, Sen. Johnny Isakson is rumored to take up the gavel. The Georgian has served on the committee since 2011.
Sen. James Risch will likely lead the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee. If Sen. Burr decides not to chair the Intelligence Committee, the Idaho Republican would be the next in line.
Sen. Richard Shelby will become the chairman of the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, a position he held from 2003 to 2007. He is a critic of the Dodd-Frank Act.
McConnell: 'I will not let you down'
"For too long, this administration has tried to tell the American people what is good for them and then blame somebody else when their policies didn't work out," Mitch McConnell, who is expected to become the next Senate majority leader, said in a victory speech.
In the House, CNN projected the GOP will have at least 246 seats, its largest majority since World War II. Speaker John Boehner, celebrating a widened majority, said he is "humbled by the responsibility the American people have placed with us."
"But this is not a time for celebration," he said. "It's time for government to start getting results and implementing solutions to the challenges facing our country, starting with our still-struggling economy.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who has controlled the Senate since 2007, congratulated Republicans on their victory.
"The message from voters is clear: they want us to work together," Reid said. "I look forward to working with Senator McConnell to get things done for the middle class."
Obama will make a statement Wednesday afternoon on an election many will see as a repudiation of his presidency, and he will host bipartisan leaders Friday to try to chart a way forward.
GOP governors win blue states Maryland, Massachusetts, Illinois
Democratic losses pile up
Democratic fears of a rout came true, as party candidates struggled to defend seats won in the 2008 Obama wave in conservative territory, and couldn't get out from under an unpopular president limping through his second term. The losses in Colorado and Iowa will sting especially hard, as those two states enjoyed a fabled place in Obama's world, as drivers of the president's unlikely bid for the White House in 2008.
The GOP also piled up wins in Montana, South Dakota, Arkansas, West Virginia and North Carolina all seats that had been in Democratic hands to surpass their magic number of six net gains. With seats still to be decided in Virginia, Alaska and Louisiana -- where there will be a runoff in December -- the GOP currently has 52 seats in the Senate.
Obama: Worst group of states for Dems
Republican numbers stood up when the GOP managed to hold on to seats in Kansas and Georgia which had threatened to fall from their grasp and complicate the Senate math.
It was a night of almost unrelenting misery for Democrats:
In Iowa, Iraq war veteran Joni Ernst became the first woman elected to Congress from her state, after turning around her Republican campaign with an ad in which she boasted about castrating hogs.
In North Carolina, Democrat Kay Hagan was felled by Thom Tillis, who repeatedly pummeled her for standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Obama.
Arkansas Sen. Mark Pryor lost to Tom Cotton, who, like Ernst, is an Iraq war veteran. Pryor's loss comes despite former president Bill Clinton's efforts to save him in his beloved home state.
Democrats thought they had Colorado, with its mix of young voters, Hispanics and students locked down for a generation. But Sen. Mark Udall tumbled to charismatic challenger Cory Gardner who shook off claims he was anti-women.
Virginia Democratic Sen. Mark Warner is having a tougher ride than expected against Republican challenger Ed Gillespie in a state Democrats had thought was reliably theirs after Obama won it twice.
A rare ray of hope for Democrats came in New Hampshire, where Sen. Jeanne Shaheen bested challenger Scott Brown. And Pennsylvania's governor's mansion reverted to Democrats when Tom Wolf unseated Republican Gov. Tom Corbett in a marquee race.
Governors
Two other Republican governors meanwhile won reelection and stirred buzz for their own 2016 White House prospects John Kasich in swing state Ohio, and conservative Republican Scott Walker in Wisconsin. In New Mexico, Republican Gov. Susana Martinez, often mentioned as a possible GOP vice presidential pick, strolled to reelection.
Samantha Mongoven casts her vote in the hallway of the historic courthouse in Boulder, Montana, on Tuesday, November 4. Millions of people nationwide are taking part in the 2014 midterm elections.
Who are the midterm spoilers?
Maryland -- a traditionally Democratic state -- elected Republican Larry Hogan as governor. And Illinois, Obama's home state, ousted its Democratic governor.
Republicans will now look with some optimism on the 2016 presidential election.
But Democrats will console themselves with a more favorable Senate map in two years' time and the belief that shifting demographics and an unresolved war between the Republican grassroots and the party establishment will make the next presidential race a tough climb for the GOP.
