Brown Victory Gives Republicans Second Wind on Capitol Hill, Campaign Trail
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Republican Scott Brown's win in the Massachusetts Senate race kicked off what may have been the best week yet -- a week that happened to mark the end of President Obama's first year in office -- for a minority party thought to be lost in the wilderness in Washington.
One election night was enough to jolt the balance of power in Washington, giving Republicans access to the brake pedal on Democrats' policy agenda. And it put wind in their sails going into the midterm elections in November.
But it was no miracle that put Brown over the top in the Tuesday special election. Rather, it was a coalition of Republicans, independents, disaffected Democrats and conservative "tea party" activists that flocked to Brown's message.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}There was a coordinated effort, not necessarily by the party establishment but the new grassroots, to beat Democrat Martha Coakley. On Election Day, tea party activists who've rallied across the country were all over the Bay State, whipping up votes.
"Democrats got run over by a pick-up truck, literally and figuratively, and in my view it's the best thing that could have happened to the president and the Democrats in Congress," said Democratic strategist Dan Gerstein.
"This was a wakeup call. This was an unavoidable signal that their governing style was not working," he said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Democrats seem disoriented and dazed, and now admit health care reform is on life support. And Republicans have been revived.
"I don't think it's possible to pass the Senate bill in the House," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday, in a back-to-the-drawing-board moment.
Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, said the election was a "booster shot" for Republicans that will help them recruit, raise money and energize the base.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"It couldn't have been better timed, it couldn't have been a better result for the Republicans," he said.
Some in the Republican Party saw another big win in the landmark Supreme Court decision Thursday that struck down key provisions of existing campaign finance law, including the ban on corporate donations.
"It's pretty gratifying," said Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Though both Republicans and Democrats have come out against the decision, some say it will benefit Republicans more, giving them even more momentum going into November.
"It's going to permit corporations in some key districts and states to spend a large amount of money on certain key races where they want a candidate elected or a candidate defeated, so I think that's a plus for Republicans," Sabato said.
However, Republicans still face two very big hurdles before they can take over Congress. They still need 40 seats in the House and 10 seats in the Senate, a tough challenge in any year and one that will surely lead to trench warfare for the more than 40 weeks before Election Day.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News' Carl Cameron contributed to this report.