Politics may be at a turning point after Democrats took back the U.S. House Tuesday night, ASU professors and students say.
Early election results Tuesday showed Democrats gaining control of the U.S. House, but it was too soon to tell which party would control the Senate.
Experts disagree about the possible effects of the Democrats' future power in Congress.
A Democratic majority would allow party members to launch investigations and hearings into the Iraq war, Patrick Kenney, chair of the political science department, said Tuesday afternoon.
It would also give Democrats influence over the budget for the Iraq war. They could use their leverage to call for changes in the Iraq policy, Kenney added.
"If the Democrats win control of Congress, I think it will be much more difficult for [President Bush] to get the month-by-month funding he has been getting," he said.
But Bush would probably moderate his approach to focus on his legacy, even if Republicans had retained control in both houses of Congress, said Karen Shafer, a political science graduate student who teaches courses in the department, Tuesday afternoon.
"The election's probably not going to make that much of a difference," Shafer said. "President Bush doesn't have much of a mandate to do anything. There's not going to be a real sense of direction."
The Democratic House victories may also usher in the first female speaker of the House, Shafer said.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., the House minority leader, would likely be promoted to speaker, Shafer added.
"This is really historic for where women have come from in politics," she said.
The Speaker of the House is third in line for presidential succession.
High turnout in the election, particularly on the East Coast, was bound to help Democrats, said Miki Kittilson, a political science professor.
"What strikes me most about this election is midterms don't usually receive this much coverage," she said. "Turnout was a shocker."
High turnout may also indicate a shrink in the participation gap between young and old voters, Kittilson said.
"I saw a lot of stickers in class today," she said. "I think student participation was much higher than in most midterm elections."
ASU's Young Democrats watched election returns Tuesday evening from the Tempe Mission Palms Hotel with congressional candidate Harry Mitchell and local legislative candidates.
"Voters have seen what it's like to live with one political party in control of all three branches of government," said Joaquin Rios, president of ASU Young Democrats. "Voters might want to change the direction of the government and the direction of the country."
Tuesday's Democratic wins may indicate there's been a shift in the cultural attitude of government, Rios said.
But T.J. Shope, president of ASU College Republicans said the shift in the House would be "very problematic."
Democrats would likely start spending a lot of money and try to stop tax cuts, he said.
But Republicans will ultimately benefit from being in the minority, Shope said. Democratic power in the House will upset voters and set up McCain perfectly for the 2008 election, he added.
"Starting tomorrow is the push for 2008."
Reach the reporters at: Annalyn.Censky@asu.edu and Jonathan.Cooper@asu.edu.
