Updated Nov. 6 | 9 p.m.

Bush uses bully pulpit to tip scales to Republicans

By CHUCK RAASCH
GNS Political Writer

WASHINGTON — The barnstorming president tipped the scales in his party's favor.

George W. Bush, whose coattails were questioned in the days leading up to the elections of 2002, energized enough voters to carry the Republicans back into the majority of the Senate. Bush did it in a fashion that has marked his presidency, with a message repeated over and over again, even if it's sometimes delivered imperfectly and a persistent belief that his direction is the right one for the country.

His message: Give me a Congress I can work with.

Whether he got one is still uncertain. Republicans will have at least 51 seats in the Senate and perhaps one or two more depending on the outcome of a Louisiana runoff next month and any legal challenges to the narrow edge on which Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., claimed victory. Republicans gained at least three and as many as seven House seats to extend a narrow margin there.

But in the aftermath of Tuesday's election, one thing was abundantly clear: Republicans and Democrats alike credited Bush's use of the bully pulpit and the White House's considerable political advantages for the GOP's successes.

"There were many factors that contributed to this victory," said Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee. "Most important was the commitment and support of the White House. President Bush, Vice President Cheney, the first lady, Lynne Cheney, former President Bush and former first lady Barbara Bush all played crucial roles in generating support for Republican candidates across the country."

In defeat, Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe refused to acknowledge that the GOP's ideas had won.

"If the Republicans had an edge over us it was tactical, not ideological," McAuliffe said, citing a "wartime president with the highest sustained approval rating in history" as the primary reason for the GOP gains.

He also blamed "special interest" advertising and a "relentless" campaign by Bush.

Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., said Bush essentially nationalized the race for Republican voters.

"He energized the base; he articulated the message," Daschle said. "He did that state after state, week after week. He had a profound effect."

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer called it a "big victory" for Bush's agenda, but said the president - so visible on the campaign trail in recent days - would not come out to talk about it.

"The president thought that the most appropriate way to mark it today would be with a touch of graciousness," Fleischer said.

Fleischer said Bush hopes that Tuesday's vote "is a mandate for Democrats and Republicans to work together to get issues passed and enacted into law."

Bush campaigned in more than 40 states, including 10 pivotal states in the last three days. In those 10 states - Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Illinois, Minnesota, South Dakota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas and Texas - Republicans won 16 of 22 House, Senate or governor's races in which Bush stumped for a GOP candidate.

There was evidence that Bush's coattails reached down on the ballot, too.

Republican electoral gains Tuesday included a historically strong showing in state legislative elections, where they took control of at least five chambers, tied two others and possibly ended up with more Republican than Democratic legislators for the first time since 1952. It was the first time that the party controlling the White House gained state legislative seats in a midterm election since 1938, when records started, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Some Democrats believe they left far too much of a vacuum for Bush to campaign in. Daunted by Bush's high approval ratings and wary of being labeled unpatriotic if they took Bush on too aggressively in amid a war on terrorism, Democrats did not clearly define an alternative foreign policy. And, public opinion polls showed, Democrats also did not present a clear alternative economic message to counter Bush.

His central plank was a tax cut passed last year, one that was supported by a number of Democrats in close re-election contests. Republicans also were aided by a spate of good news before the elections, including a stock market that made significant gains since September and the news Monday that the CIA had killed a top al-Qaida leader.

"Our overarching problem was that we failed to show that our ways to make America strong are as important as Bush's campaign against Iraq," said Democratic consultant Bob Weiner. "We had every right to say that our issues are patriotic, and I anticipate that we could have had a five-seat gain in the House. But we rolled over and caved on Iraq and the tax cuts. We gave the issues away."

By some estimates, Bush raised more than $140 million for Republican candidates.

"The president raised a lot of money," said Rutgers University political scientist Ross Baker. "He was absolutely indefatigable. He went everywhere."

(Contributing: Ledyard King, Katherine Hutt Scott and Susan Roth, GNS.)