US 'heading for divided government' as voters go to the polls

Barring an unexpected surge in turnout among Democrats, a Republican landslide, fuelled by the ultra-conservative tea party movement, was likely to handicap President Barack Obama's ambitious agenda for changing the country.Just two years ago, Mr Obama swept into the White House with Democrats holding majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Voters had turned to Mr Obama and his Democrats to signal their weariness with the eight-year presidency of Republican George Bush, who began the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and oversaw the near collapse of the financial system. But Mr Obama and his party quickly fell from favour under the burden of the so-called Great Recession and its aftermath, near-10 per cent unemployment, anaemic economic growth and a continuing epidemic of home mortgage foreclosures that are wiping out Americans' life savings.

Republicans have ridden the crest of a wave of American fear and dissatisfaction in the run-up to this election. They have been bolstered by the tea party movement, a loose-knit group of organisations opposed to federal government influence on citizens' lives that sprang to life after Mr Obama moved into the White House.

Pre-vote polling unanimously showed the business-friendly Republicans poised to grab the majority in the House, with a lesser chance of taking charge in the Senate.

Their message was simple: smaller government and low taxes.

Republicans needed 40 more seats to win the House, a goal that polls indicated they had a strong chance of exceeding. Races for more than 100 of the 435 seats were competitive, mostly in Democratic-held districts.

Republicans needed a net gain of 10 seats out of 37 on the ballot to win a majority in the 100- seat Senate, a tougher road that required them to win all the tight races.

Republicans buoyantly forecast a new era of divided government.

"We're hoping now for a fresh start with the American people," said Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele. Mr Obama gave a series of radio interviews, geared in part to urban black audiences, encouraging traditional Democratic supporters not to sit on the sidelines.

"Across the board, things have gotten better over the last two years," he said. "We can only keep it up if I've got some friends and allies in Congress and in statehouses."