Story highlights GOP wins Senate seats in Iowa, Colorado, Arkansas, S. Dakota, Montana, W. Virginia, N. Carolina 
 
 CNN projects GOP will keep the House and Senate 
 
 Mitch McConnell beat Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes in Kentucky 
 
 Obama to make a statement Wednesday afternoon 
 
 A Republican tide ripped the Senate away from Democrats Tuesday, giving the GOP full control of Congress and the power to pin down President Barack Obama during his last two years in office. 
 
 The thumping win upends the balance of power between the White House and Capitol Hill only six years after Obama's Democrats swept to power and marginalized Republicans in a rush to reform health care, Wall Street and pass a huge stimulus package. 
 
 Now, it's Democrats who will take the back seat on Capitol Hill, relying mostly on the power of the filibuster to stymie Republicans and keep Obama's legacy intact. 
 
 "For too long, this administration has tried to tell the American people what is good for them and then blame somebody else when their policies didn't work out," Mitch McConnell, who is expected to become the next Senate majority leader, said in a victory speech. 
 
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 Photos: The new GOP power players Photos: The new GOP power players Sen. John McCain – Sen. John McCain is expected to become the next chairman of the Armed Services Committee. McCain is a vocal critic of President Obama for being too soft on foreign policy. If he assumes the position, he will likely push for ground troops in Syria and Iraq in an effort to defeat ISIS. Hide Caption 1 of 15 Photos: The new GOP power players Sen. Thad Cochran – Sen. Thad Cochran is in line to become chairman of the Appropriations Committee. The Mississippi Republican will have major influence over government funding as he oversees 13 spending bills for the next fiscal year. Hide Caption 2 of 15 Photos: The new GOP power players Sen. Jeff Sessions – Sen. Jeff Sessions is next in line to chair the Budget Committee. The Alabama senator is a budget hawk who is interested in cutting government spending and waste. Hide Caption 3 of 15 Photos: The new GOP power players Sen. John Thune – Sen. John Thune is set to chair the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. He would focus on business and trade legislation and oversight. Hide Caption 4 of 15 Photos: The new GOP power players Sen. Lisa Murkowski – Sen. Lisa Murkowski would lead Energy and Natural Resources Committee. She is expected to push to lift the ban on exporting crude oil and build support for the Keystone XL Pipeline. Hide Caption 5 of 15 Photos: The new GOP power players Sen. Jim Inhofe – Sen. Jim Inhofe is in position to head the Environment and Public Works Committee. The Oklahoma Republican has voiced his skepticism against climate change claims, calling it "the most-media hyped environmental issue." Hide Caption 6 of 15 Photos: The new GOP power players Sen. Orrin Hatch – Sen. Orrin Hatch will lead the powerful tax-writing Finance Committee during a year many senators are clamoring to overhaul the tax code. He also has major influence on the Affordable Care Act and Medicare and Social Security. Hide Caption 7 of 15 Photos: The new GOP power players Sen. Bob Corker – Sen. Bob Corker will head the Foreign Relations Committee. He's been a chief critic of the White House on Syria and Iran but has also shown a willingness to work with President Obama. Hide Caption 8 of 15 Photos: The new GOP power players Sen. Ron Johnson – Sen. Ron Johnson will lead the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. A critic of the administration's handling of Benghazi, the Wisconsin Republican is likely to conduct another investigation. Hide Caption 9 of 15 Photos: The new GOP power players Sen. Lamar Alexander – Sen. Lamar Alexander is set to be the next chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee. He is a proponent for education reform and would likely push to decrease government intervention in state education systems. Hide Caption 10 of 15 Photos: The new GOP power players Sen. Chuck Grassley – Sen. Chuck Grassley will become the next chairman of the Judiciary Committee. If Obama waits until next year to nominate a new attorney general, Grassley would play a key role in the confirmation process. Hide Caption 11 of 15 Photos: The new GOP power players Sen. Richard Burr – Sen. Richard Burr is a likely candidate for two chairmanship positions. He is currently the ranking member of the Veteran Affairs Committee, but is also the next in line to chair the Intelligence Committee and has expressed interest in that panel. He has yet to decide which post he will take. Hide Caption 12 of 15 Photos: The new GOP power players Sen. Johnny Isakson – If Sen. Burr does not accept the Veteran Affairs Committee chairmanship, Sen. Johnny Isakson is rumored to take up the gavel. The Georgian has served on the committee since 2011. Hide Caption 13 of 15 Photos: The new GOP power players Sen. James Risch – Sen. James Risch will likely lead the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee. If Sen. Burr decides not to chair the Intelligence Committee, the Idaho Republican would be the next in line. Hide Caption 14 of 15 Photos: The new GOP power players Sen. Richard Shelby – Sen. Richard Shelby will become the chairman of the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, a position he held from 2003 to 2007. He is a critic of the Dodd-Frank Act. Hide Caption 15 of 15 
 
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 In the House, CNN projected the GOP will have at least 246 seats, its largest majority since World War II. Speaker John Boehner, celebrating a widened majority, said he is "humbled by the responsibility the American people have placed with us." 
 
 "But this is not a time for celebration," he said. "It's time for government to start getting results and implementing solutions to the challenges facing our country, starting with our still-struggling economy. 
 
 Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who has controlled the Senate since 2007, congratulated Republicans on their victory. 
 
 "The message from voters is clear: they want us to work together," Reid said. "I look forward to working with Senator McConnell to get things done for the middle class." 
 
 Obama will make a statement Wednesday afternoon on an election many will see as a repudiation of his presidency, and he will host bipartisan leaders Friday to try to chart a way forward. 
 
 Democratic losses pile up 
 
 Democratic fears of a rout came true, as party candidates struggled to defend seats won in the 2008 Obama wave in conservative territory, and couldn't get out from under an unpopular president limping through his second term. The losses in Colorado and Iowa will sting especially hard, as those two states enjoyed a fabled place in Obama's world, as drivers of the president's unlikely bid for the White House in 2008. 
 
 The GOP also piled up wins in Montana, South Dakota, Arkansas , West Virginia and North Carolina — all seats that had been in Democratic hands — to surpass their magic number of six net gains. With seats still to be decided in Virginia, Alaska and Louisiana -- where there will be a runoff in December -- the GOP currently has 52 seats in the Senate. 
 
 Republican numbers stood up when the GOP managed to hold on to seats in Kansas and Georgia which had threatened to fall from their grasp and complicate the Senate math. 
 
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 It was a night of almost unrelenting misery for Democrats: 
 
 In Iowa , Iraq war veteran Joni Ernst became the first woman elected to Congress from her state, after turning around her Republican campaign with an ad in which she boasted about castrating hogs. 
 
 • In North Carolina, Democrat Kay Hagan was felled by Thom Tillis , who repeatedly pummeled her for standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Obama. 
 
 Arkansas Sen. Mark Pryor lost to Tom Cotton , who, like Ernst, is an Iraq war veteran. Pryor's loss comes despite former president Bill Clinton's efforts to save him in his beloved home state. 
 
 • Democrats thought they had Colorado, with its mix of young voters, Hispanics and students locked down for a generation. But Sen. Mark Udall tumbled to charismatic challenger Cory Gardner who shook off claims he was anti-women. 
 
 • Virginia Democratic Sen. Mark Warner is having a tougher ride than expected against Republican challenger Ed Gillespie in a state Democrats had thought was reliably theirs after Obama won it twice. 
 
 A rare ray of hope for Democrats came in New Hampshire, where Sen. Jeanne Shaheen bested challenger Scott Brown . And Pennsylvania's governor's mansion reverted to Democrats when Tom Wolf unseated Republican Gov. Tom Corbett in a marquee race. 
 
 Governors 
 
 Two other Republican governors meanwhile won reelection and stirred buzz for their own 2016 White House prospects — John Kasich in swing state Ohio, and conservative Republican Scott Walker in Wisconsin. In New Mexico, Republican Gov. Susana Martinez, often mentioned as a possible GOP vice presidential pick, strolled to reelection. 
 
 Maryland -- a traditionally Democratic state -- elected Republican Larry Hogan as governor. And Illinois, Obama's home state, ousted its Democratic governor. 
 
 Photos: Photos: The places America votes Photos: Photos: The places America votes The places America votes – Samantha Mongoven casts her vote in the hallway of the historic courthouse in Boulder, Montana, on Tuesday, November 4. Millions of people nationwide are taking part in the 2014 midterm elections. Hide Caption 1 of 24 Photos: Photos: The places America votes The places America votes – People in Washington vote at Eastern Market, a food market in the nation's capital. Hide Caption 2 of 24 Photos: Photos: The places America votes The places America votes – Voters wait in line to cast their ballots in a portable structure outside of David Chapel Baptist Church in Austin, Texas. Hide Caption 3 of 24 Photos: Photos: The places America votes The places America votes – A man arrives to vote at the Avenue 3 Pizza shop in Long Beach, California. Hide Caption 4 of 24 Photos: Photos: The places America votes The places America votes – Voters cast their ballots at a polling station in the Rabbit Hash General Store in Rabbit Hash, Kentucky. Hide Caption 5 of 24 Photos: Photos: The places America votes The places America votes – Voters cast ballots at Manzanita Community School in Oakland, California. Hide Caption 6 of 24 Photos: Photos: The places America votes The places America votes – People vote inside the City Hall rotunda in San Jose, California. Hide Caption 7 of 24 Photos: Photos: The places America votes The places America votes – A voter looks over his ballot at Fugate's Bowling Alley in Hazard, Kentucky. Hide Caption 8 of 24 Photos: Photos: The places America votes The places America votes – A woman votes at Su Nueva Laundromat in Chicago. Hide Caption 9 of 24 Photos: Photos: The places America votes The places America votes – People in Los Angeles vote at a polling place set up in the playground of a McDonald's. Hide Caption 10 of 24 Photos: Photos: The places America votes The places America votes – Voters cast their ballots at First Class Barber Shop in Chicago. Hide Caption 11 of 24 Photos: Photos: The places America votes The places America votes – People vote in a library near Ferguson, Missouri. Hide Caption 12 of 24 Photos: Photos: The places America votes The places America votes – A voter exits the Valley Bible Chalet, which is a polling location in Indian, Alaska. Hide Caption 13 of 24 Photos: Photos: The places America votes The places America votes – Voters cast their ballots at the Jamestown Town Hall in Jamestown, North Carolina. Hide Caption 14 of 24 Photos: Photos: The places America votes The places America votes – People vote inside the Krishna Temple in Salt Lake City, Utah. Hide Caption 15 of 24 Photos: Photos: The places America votes The places America votes – A voter casts his ballot at a polling place set up at the Venice Beach lifeguard headquarters in Los Angeles. Hide Caption 16 of 24 Photos: Photos: The places America votes The places America votes – People vote in a gym at the St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church in Albany, New York. Hide Caption 17 of 24 Photos: Photos: The places America votes The places America votes – A poll manager is sworn in before the polls open at the old Hoggards Mill Courthouse in Newton, Georgia. Hide Caption 18 of 24 Photos: Photos: The places America votes The places America votes – A voter casts her ballot at a fire station in Climax, North Carolina. Hide Caption 19 of 24 Photos: Photos: The places America votes The places America votes – People vote inside the Frontier-Harley Davidson store in Lincoln, Nebraska. Hide Caption 20 of 24 Photos: Photos: The places America votes The places America votes – A woman votes at the Oakton Ice Arena in Park Ridge, Illinois. Hide Caption 21 of 24 Photos: Photos: The places America votes The places America votes – Voters line up to cast their ballots in the gym at Northside Elementary School in Midway, Kentucky. Hide Caption 22 of 24 Photos: Photos: The places America votes The places America votes – A bake sale is held outside Jefferson Elementary School, a polling place in Milwaukee. Hide Caption 23 of 24 Photos: Photos: The places America votes The places America votes – A voter drops his election ballot at one of many drop boxes in Arvada, Colorado, a Denver suburb. Hide Caption 24 of 24 
 
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 Republicans will now look with some optimism on the 2016 presidential election. 
 
 But Democrats will console themselves with a more favorable Senate map in two years' time and the belief that shifting demographics and an unresolved war between the Republican grassroots and the party establishment will make the next presidential race a tough climb for the GOP. ||||| WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell won a hard-fought sixth term Tuesday, putting him a step closer to his lifelong dream of becoming majority leader and getting the GOP off to a good start in its goal of taking control of the Senate. 
 
 Helping his chances was Republican Rep. Shelley Moore Capito's capture of the West Virginia seat of retiring Democratic Sen. Jay Rockefeller. Her victory, while not a surprise, gave Republicans the first of six new seats they will need to control the Senate for the first time in eight years. 
 
 Kentucky Democrats once had high hopes for challenger Alison Lundergan Grimes, Kentucky's young secretary of state. But the hill was too steep in a state President Barack Obama lost by 23 percentage points in 2012. 
 
 McConnell, like Republicans in every competitive state, relentlessly tied his opponent to the president, whose approval ratings have sagged. McConnell's allies taunted Grimes for refusing to say whether she had voted for Obama. 
 
 If Republicans gain at least six new seats, McConnell, 72, is positioned to become the Senate's majority leader. That would give him substantial powers to decide what legislation reaches the floor for votes, and when. 
 
 Democrats privately said they hoped to limit their net Senate losses to five seats, which would barely keep them in control. But even that would require them to win several races Tuesday where they were struggling. Potential runoffs in Louisiana and Georgia, and possible slow vote counts in Alaska, could leave matters unclear for some time. 
 
 The GOP seemed certain to pick up three seats where Democratic senators are retiring: in South Dakota and Montana, along with West Virginia. 
 
 Republicans were bullish in Arkansas, where freshman Rep. Tom Cotton aimed to oust two-term Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor. They felt almost as optimistic about ousting Sen. Mary Landrieu in Louisiana — although a Dec. 6 runoff seemed likely. First-term Democratic Sen. Mark Begich of Alaska was another top target. 
 
 Victories in those six states would give Republicans the Senate majority, provided they don't lose any seats they now hold. Their biggest worries in that regard were in Georgia and Kansas. 
 
 In Georgia, where GOP Sen. Saxby Chambliss is retiring, Democrat Michelle Nunn and Republican David Perdue were locked in a tight battle. 
 
 In Kansas, three-term Republican Sen. Pat Roberts was scrambling to fend off independent candidate Greg Orman, who had persuaded the Democrat to leave the race and help him consolidate anti-Roberts sentiment. Orman hasn't said which party he will caucus with, however, so a Roberts loss doesn't automatically endanger the GOP's chances. 
 
 Elsewhere, contests for Democratic-held seats in three closely divided states could prove crucial. 
 
 In North Carolina, Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan was facing state House speaker Thom Tillis. The race set records for campaign spending, with airwaves drenched in political ads. Obama carried North Carolina in 2008, and lost it in 2012. 
 
 In Colorado, first-term Democratic Sen. Mark Udall faced a strong challenge from GOP Rep. Cory Gardner. In New Hampshire, Democrats said they believed Sen. Jeanne Shaheen could hold off Republican Scott Brown, a former senator from Massachusetts. 
 
 Few campaigns were as feisty and close as Iowa's, where long-time Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin is retiring. 
 
 Republican state Sen. Joni Ernst was facing Democratic U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley in a race that featured TV ads about castrating hogs, and a leaked fundraising video from Texas. 
 
 Barring a GOP wave, it's possible that control of the Senate won't be known for days or even weeks. 
 
 Slow vote counts in Alaska could make Republican Dan Sullivan's challenge against Begich too close to call for a while. In Louisiana, many expect a Dec. 6 runoff between Landrieu and GOP Rep. Bill Cassidy. And a Jan. 6 Georgia runoff between Perdue and Nunn also was possible. 
 
 If a runoff — or a vote recount in any closely contested state — will determine which party controls the Senate, the spending and politicking will be extraordinary. 
 
 A Republican takeover of the Senate would be huge politically, but its impact on governing is unclear. Even with Republicans controlling both houses of Congress, many of the dynamics that have fed federal gridlock for years would still be present. 
 
 Obama could veto legislation passed by a Republican-controlled Congress. And Senate Democrats, if relegated to the minority, could use the filibuster to thwart scores of GOP initiatives, just as Republicans have done to the Democrats for years. 
 
 A new Republican Senate majority could be short-lived. The 2016 Senate election map heavily favors Democrats, just as this year's map was ideal for Republicans. 
 
 In 2016, Republicans will be defending seats in seven states that Obama won, and in another three closely divided states. Most of the nine Democrats on the ballot will be solid favorites.
– Election night was a win for Republicans: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell started things off by defeating Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes in Kentucky, reports the AP. Hours later, McConnell learned he will be changing his title to majority leader: Republicans needed a net gain of six seats to take the Senate, and they've now got seven, reports CNN: In Iowa, Joni Ernst beat Bruce Braley for an open seat currently held by Democrats. In North Carolina, Thom Tillis unseated Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan. In Colorado, Cory Gardner unseated Democratic Sen. Mark Udall. In Arkansas, Tom Cotton unseated Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor. In West Virginia, Shelley Capito won and will replace retiring Democrat Jay Rockefeller (and become her state's first female senator). In South Dakota, Gov. Mike Rounds won an open seat currently held by Democrats. In Montana, Steve Daines beat Amanda Curtis and won the seat held by Democrat John Walsh, who dropped out of the race over plagiarism charges. But it's not all bad news for Democrats: In New Hampshire, Democrat Jeanne Shaheen held off a challenge from former Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown, and in Minnesota, Al Franken easily won re-election to the seat he won by just 312 votes in 2008. Other key races: In Louisiana, the race between Democrat incumbent Mary Landrieu and GOP challenger Bill Cassidy will go to a Dec. 6 runoff. In Kansas, Republican Pat Roberts won re-election in a close race against independent challenger Greg Orman. In Georgia, Republican David Perdue beat Michelle Nunn in the race for a GOP-held open seat. In Virginia, Democratic Sen. Mark Warner has declared victory in a surprisingly close race with challenger Ed Gillespie, though the Republican has yet to concede and says he hasn't ruled out a recount. In Alaska, Democratic Sen. Mark Begich has fallen behind Republican challenger Dan Sullivan, but many remote precincts and tens of thousands of absentee ballots remain to be counted.