Election 2014: Coverage and Results

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It’s been a tough week for Democrats, but they’ll always have Angus King.

The independent senator from Maine said at a news conference Wednesday that he would continue caucusing with Democrats, even though they had lost control of the Senate.

“It does not mean that I have become a Democrat and in any way, official or unofficial, joined the Democratic Party,” Mr. King said.

The decision means that Mr. King will lunch with Democrats on Tuesdays and consider their agenda with them.

Mr. King said it was in the best interest of the state to have two senators from different parties. Maine’s other senator, Susan Collins, is a Republican.

“The reality of the current Senate – whether the Democrats or the Republicans are in control — is that nothing can or will happen without bipartisan support,” Mr. King said.

While the move likely comes as a disappointment to Republicans, their success at the polls on Tuesday night appeared to soothe much of the sting.

Senator Mitch McConnell, the incoming majority leader, said at a news conference earlier in the day that Mr. King had called to congratulate him and that he had a feeling that a decision was coming soon.

“He’s a pretty independent guy,” Mr. McConnell said.

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President Obama grudgingly accepted that reporters had already tagged him a “lame-duck” president, but he promised that he would not give up on his agenda in the final two years of his administration.

“I’m gonna to squeeze every last little bit of opportunity to make this world a better place,” Mr. Obama said.

Pressed by Jim Acosta, a reporter for CNN, about whether he was satisfied with his accomplishments to date, the president said, “Absolutely not.”

“The one thing that I’m pretty confident about, Jim, is that I’m going to be pretty busy for the next two years,” Mr. Obama said.

President Obama is showing his humble side, but he’s not shying away from pointing out a few of the areas where he thinks his administration has been winning.

On the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, Mr. Obama made clear he was in no hurry.

“On Keystone, there’s an independent process,” he said. “I’m going to let that process play out.”

Mr. Obama said the United States was closer to energy independence than it had been in decades and that it was importing less foreign oil than it produced for the first time in recent memory.

He also boasted on progress producing natural gas and said that when he traveled the world other countries were envious of America’s booming energy sector.

Still, Mr. Obama concluded his point on a conciliatory note.

“I’m happy to engage Republicans with additional ways to enhance that,” he said.

President Obama declined to say who he planned to name as his next attorney general, joking with reporters: “You don’t want all your news in one big bang.”

He said that the White House was looking at “a number of outstanding candidates,” and told reporters to stand by for an announcement in the future.

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President Obama suggested that there might be some benefits to working with a Republican-controlled Congress.

“Negotiations could be a little more real,” he said, suggesting that Republicans will know they have a better chance of getting legislation to his desk.

Mr. Obama said that he remained open to finding areas of cooperation and that his top priority was improving the lives of the American people, rather than scoring political points.

“I’m not running again,” Mr. Obama said. “I’m not on the ballot. I don’t have any political aspirations.”

Though he was a senator for only a brief time, President Obama knows how to filibuster. And he showed it on Wednesday.

Asked a question about the fight against extremists in Iraq and Syria, Mr. Obama provided an expansive answer, seeming to relish the opportunity to explore the details of the military campaign.

Could he have been trying to eat up time that might otherwise be dedicated to the deep losses that his party suffered in Tuesday’s election? Perhaps, though to be fair, he answered quite of few of those questions, too.

President Obama said it was an “open question” whether the Iranian government could work out a deal with the United States on the future of their nuclear program.

“There is a long tradition of mistrust between the two countries,” Mr. Obama said. “We will find out over the next several weeks.”

President Obama is ready to sit down with Mitch McConnell for a drink.

Responding to a question about his relationship with Republicans and whether he could have done more to woo the other party, Mr. Obama said he expected to spend more time with Mr. McConnell and Speaker John A. Boehner now that they will be the leaders in Congress.

“Most of my interactions with Congress have been cordial, they’ve been constructive,” Mr. Obama said. “I take them at their word that they want to produce.”

As for Mr. McConnell, Mr. Obama appeared to have a change of heart. He once joked that the Kentucky senator was not exactly someone he would want to hang out with over drinks.

But on Wednesday he said, “I would enjoy having some Kentucky bourbon with Mitch McConnell.”

President Obama said Wednesday that his commander in charge of the fight against the Islamic State will be at the meeting Friday with congressional leaders to present an update on the fight against extremists in Iraq and Syria.

Mr. Obama said the presentation would be aimed at urging the lawmakers to approve a more up-to-date authorization for the use of force that is a better match for the military strategy in the region.

That puts members of Congress in both parties on notice that the president intends to try to draw them into the decisions on the wars in the Middle East, something that many members have sought to avoid.

Why did Democrats take the hit for the public’s dissatisfaction with government? President Obama offered one possible explanation:

“I am the president of the United States, and I think, understandably, people are going to ask for greater responsibility and greater accountability from me than anybody else in this town. I welcome that.”

President Obama said that he and his staff would be reflecting on the midterm losses and looking for ways to move forward.

“Every election is a moment for reflection,” Mr Obama said. “I think everybody in this White House is going to look and say what do we need to do differently. The principles that we’re fighting for, the things that motivate me and my staff, those things are not going to change.”

Mr. Obama said that perhaps he had a “naive confidence,” but that he thinks that if he is focused on the American people, they will be better off after his presidency than they were before he took office.

Asked if Tuesday night’s sweeping defeat for Democrats was a “shellacking,” the term he used to describe the 2010 midterms, President Obama demurred: “There’s no doubt that Republicans had a good night.”

Those expecting a confrontational tone from President Obama after his party’s rout on Wednesday were most likely disappointed, at least in the beginning of the president’s news conference.

Mr. Obama’s tone was optimistic and hopeful — a stark contrast to the bitter attack ads of this year’s campaign and the recriminations that have dominated Washington for years.

The president said he would “reach out to Republicans, make sure that I’m listening to them.”

“I’m looking forward to them putting forward a very specific agenda,” he said. “Let’s get started on those things where we can agree.”

Will that last beyond the day after the election? That may depend on the specifics of the things on the agenda for both parties.

President Obama said he understood that the American people want him to push hard, break gridlock and help Congress get things done.

“The key is to make sure that those ideas that I have somewhere overlap with ideas that Republicans have,” Mr. Obama said. “There’s not going to be perfect overlap.”

President Obama on Wednesday offered a three-point agenda for the lame-duck session of Congress that begins next week, before the new members elected Tuesday take office in January.

He said he would send a request for more Ebola funding to fight the spread of the disease in Africa and in the United States; seek new authorization to fight Islamic terrorists in Iraq and Syria; and work with lawmakers to pass a budget for the remainder of the year.

“It’s time for us to take care of business,” Mr. Obama said. “There are plans this country has to put in place for our future.”

Highlighting areas of common ground, President Obama said he and Republicans share ideas for helping young people afford college without crippling debt and that the issue of raising the minimum wage is one that both parties should be able to get behind.

“In the five states where a minimum wage increase was on the ballot, voters went five for five to increase it,” he said.

But Mr. Obama also hinted at a willingness to brandish his veto pen, saying: “Congress will pass some bills I cannot sign. We can surely find ways to work together on issues where there is broad agreement among the American people.”

“This country has made real progress since the crisis six years ago,” President Obama said. Listing his accomplishments, he challenged Congress to build on that progress.

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President Obama offered an olive branch to victorious Republicans on Wednesday, congratulating them om “a good night” but saying that the message he received from Americans was that both parties needed to work together on behalf of the public.

“The American people sent a message — one that they’ve sent for several elections now. They expect the people they elect to work as hard as they do,” Mr. Obama said during a news conference in the East Room. “They want us to get the job done.”

To voters who helped oust Democrats from Congress and put more Republicans in governor’s mansions, Mr. Obama said, “I want you to know, I hear you.”

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Senator Mitch McConnell, riding high after a Republican sweep Tuesday that will see him promoted to majority leader, struck a conciliatory tone on Wednesday, suggesting that he would look for ways to work with President Obama and also send him bills to sign or veto.

“When the American people choose divided government, I don’t think that means they don’t want us to do anything,” Mr. McConnell said. “I want to first look for areas that we can agree on. There probably are some.”

The Republican from Kentucky said that gridlock could be ended by creating a Senate culture “that actually works.” He said that he had spoken to Mr. Obama and that there was mutual interest in talking further about legislation on trade and an overhaul of the tax system.

Mr. McConnell was realistic that it would be impossible to fully repeal the Affordable Care Act while Mr. Obama was president but said that there were pieces of the law that he hoped to dismantle.

On immigration, Mr. McConnell said that any unilateral action by Mr. Obama “poisons the well” on any potential agreement and that he hoped the president would not follow that course of action.

Mr. McConnell faced a tough campaign against Alison Lundergan Grimes, his Democratic opponent, but ultimately beat her handily.

As leader of the Senate, Mr. McConnell said that he would use the budget approval process to try to rein in Mr. Obama.

“We will use the power of the purse to push back against this overactive bureaucracy,” Mr. McConnell said, noting that there would be no moves to shut down the government or threaten a default on its debt.