CHICAGO, November 7 (RIA Novosti), Elizabeth Wojt — Republicans won control over the US Senate in the midterm elections because of "critically important" voter mobilization, Vanderbilt University associate professor of political science Joshua D. Clinton, told RIA Novosti Friday.
"Given that very few voters are undecided, the largest impact of campaigns is in getting people to the polls," Clinton said.
"Mobilizing voters is critically important and this was much harder for the Democrats this time around because of the ambivalence that most had for the President. Republicans, on the other hand, were eager to vote against Democrats to express their displeasure with the direction of the country," Clinton added.
According to the expert, the media could influence voters by making them believe their candidate is less likely to win, however, in the case of Tuesday's midterm election in the United States, media coverage did little to change the strong opinions most voters already had of Obama and their candidate choice.
Age and enthusiasm of voters were also a factor in Republican victories, Clinton said.
"When young people (who are more likely to vote Democratic) fail to vote, or when unenthusiastic Democrats stay home and Republicans are the most motivated to vote then you are more likely to see Republican victories — especially in races in conservative states," Clinton explained.
On Tuesday, Republicans took control of the US Congress by gaining the majority of the seats in the Senate, and retaining their majority in the House of Representatives. Congress thus became Republican-dominated for the first time in eight years.
