US President Barack Obama pledged to work with Republicans after suffering a major defeat in congressional elections Tuesday that handed control of the House of Representatives to the opposition party, dpa reported.
Republicans won control of the House and slimmed the Democrats' majorities in the upper Senate. The shift comes just two years after Obama was elected to the White House.
Obama pledged to find areas of common ground in telephone calls with Republican John Boehner, who is set to become speaker of the House, and Mitch McConnell, the top Republican in the Senate.
The president was "looking forward to working with (them) and the Republicans to find common ground, move the country forward and get things done for the American people," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said in a statement.