WASHINGTON — The balance of power in both houses of Congress was still in question Tuesday, defying the historical precedent of punishing losses for the president’s party and lending a fittingly uncertain air to the conclusion of this unsettled election season.
Republicans still appeared to have the upper hand to flip the five seats necessary to control the House, but their successes so far stopped short of a commanding “red wave” that would wash out endangered Democratic incumbents. And in the Senate, most marquee races remained on razor’s edge.
The known results so far paint a decidedly mixed picture on the mood of the country, far short of the “thumping” that President George W. Bush acknowledged after losing 30 seats in 2006 or the 63-seat “shellacking” Democrats took under former President Barack Obama in 2010.
