Most of the dust has settled in the US mid-term election, and as most expected, it was not a fun time for the Republican party. By 11:00 pm on election day it was projected that the Democrats had won control of the House of Representatives, but even now the Senate result is too close to call. The Democrats had a little more trouble with the Republican "firewall" in the upper chamber. The most significant upset in the senate race was seen as the defeat of Rick Santorum in Pennsylvania, characterised as an ultra-conservative firebrand and even a presidential hopeful for 2008. Today the Republicans were putting their spin on the results, citing the public's "sour mood" and "self-inflicted injuries" as some of the reasons behind their losses. It was the first time I'd followed a US mid-term election and I noted certain terms that differ from Canadian ones such as a "district" and a seat "pick-up." In Canadian elections at the federal and and provincial level, the results that pour in after the polls close are described as "gains" and "losses," electoral districts are "ridings" and precincts are "polling stations." In municipal elections candidates most often run as individuals without party affiliations.

Last summer I spent a week in Northern Ontario with an Alaskan from Fairbanks. He was quite knowledgable about Canadian politics and familiar with most of the country's major issues. But I had him scratching his head when I explained the situation of minority government. It's something that doesn't happen in a two-party state.

The vote is seen as a repudiation of George W Bush and his administration. Observers wonder whether Bush will be more conciliatory if he also loses Senate control, or whether he will hunker down and resort to his veto powers.