(AP) - Democrats won control of the House early Wednesday after a dozen years of Republican rule in a resounding repudiation of a war, a president and a scandal-scarred Congress.
"From sea to shining sea, the American people voted for change," declared Rep. Nancy Pelosi (news, bio, voting record), the hard-charging California Democrat in line to become the nation's first female House speaker.
"Today we have made history," she said, "now let us make progress."
Faced with the inevitable, the White House made plans for President Bush to call Pelosi first thing in the morning; he will enter his final two years in office with at least half of Congress in the opposition party's hands, reports Trend.
Just after 1 a.m., Democrats had won 218 seats, enough to control the House, and were leading for another 15, which give them 233. Republicans, who hold 229 seats in the current House, won 176 and were leading in another 26, which would give them 202.
The Democrats won 24 Republican-controlled seats ,and no Democratic incumbent had lost by early Wednesday.