IN THE NEWS - U.S. Midterm Elections

IN THE NEWS – November 9, 2002: U.S. Midterm Elections

By Jerilyn Watson

This is STEVE EMBER with the VOA Special English program IN THE NEWS.

For the first time in many years, one party will control both houses of the United States Congress and the White
House. Members of President Bush’s Republican Party regained¹ control of the Senate from the Democratic
Party in elections Tuesday.

Republicans will hold at least fifty-one of the one-hundred seats in the Senate. Democrats³ hold forty-seven seats.
One senator is an independent. Another Senate seat still requires a special election.

Republicans also increased their majority in the House of Representatives. Members of the new Congress will be
sworn into office in January.

The election results represent a major victory for Mister Bush. The president’s party usually loses congressional
seats in an election held in the middle of his term. Mister Bush appeared publicly with a lot of Republican
candidates in the weeks before the election.

The Republican victories mean Mister Bush will have more chances to get his programs passed. Republican
Trent Lott of Mississippi will be the new Senate majority leader. As such, he can decide which issues the Senate
will consider and when they will consider them. Republicans also will lead Senate committees. This means
Mister Bush also is likely to win Senate confirmation⁴ of his candidates for federal office.

The Republicans won three seats they currently do not have in the Senate. Former Vice⁵ President Walter
Mondale lost to Republican Norm Coleman in Minnesota. Mister Mondale’s campaign lasted only a few days.
The state’s Democratic Party nominated him after Senator Paul Wellstone died in an airplane crash last month.

In Missouri, Senator Jean Carnahan lost to Republican Jim Talent, a former Congressman⁶. Missus Carnahan had
been appointed to fill a Senate seat won by her husband, Mel Carnahan.

In Georgia, Democratic Senator Max Cleland lost to Republican Congressman Saxby Chambliss. During the
election campaign, Mister Chambliss often spoke⁷ about his efforts as a policy-maker against terrorism. As a
young man, Mister Cleland lost both legs and his right arm during the Vietnam War.

Democrats, however, gained governorships in Illinois, Michigan and Pennsylvania --three states with large
populations. In California, voters re-elected Governor Gray Davis, another Democrat². At the same time,
Republicans won governors’ races in the traditionally Democratic states of Georgia and Maryland.

On Thursday, President Bush said he would seek quick congressional approval of his Homeland Security Bill.
The measure would pull together government agencies that fight terrorism. Mister Bush also hopes Congress will
change the federal program to assist retired⁸ workers and make tax cuts permanent.

This VOA Special English program, IN THE NEWS, was written by Jerilyn Watson. This is Steve Ember.

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1 regained   

复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地

参考例句：

• The majority of the people in the world have regained their liberty. 世界上大多数人已重获自由。
• She hesitated briefly but quickly regained her poise. 她犹豫片刻，但很快恢复了镇静。

2 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

3 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

5 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

6 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

7 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

8 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。