Obama has officially won the state of Florida, finalizing the electoral tally of 332:206. While this year's popular vote was extremely close (51:48) Obama won by almost as large a margin in the electoral college system as he had in 2008. As predicted, most coastal and urban areas went democratic, while Republicans had a better grasp of the rural, landlocked areas. This lead Obama win a second term.
The problem for Obama is what happens next: the Presidency. Just like before the election, Obama faces a divided Congress. The Senate remained democratic after key losses by Republicans (Todd Akin, Richard Mourdock). Instead of winning the Senate as party leaders predicted, the Republicans lost seats in the Senate. It was the House that ruined the Democrats' perfect night. The democrats could not win enough seats to take back the house. While they did gain a few seats, their performance was no where near as great as the Republicans had in 2010.
The problem for Obama is what happens next: the Presidency. Just like before the election, Obama faces a divided Congress. The Senate remained democratic after key losses by Republicans (Todd Akin, Richard Mourdock). Instead of winning the Senate as party leaders predicted, the Republicans lost seats in the Senate. It was the House that ruined the Democrats' perfect night. The democrats could not win enough seats to take back the house. While they did gain a few seats, their performance was no where near as great as the Republicans had in 2010.
