MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Republicans promise a “political earthquake” in Tuesday’s mid term election

Challenging times ahead for President Obama

Candidates across the United States launched a frantic final push for support, and President Barack Obama ended a two-day campaign swing designed to pump up Democratic turnout less than 48 hours before Americans begin to cast their ballots.

“This election is a choice between the policies that got us into this mess and the policies that are leading us out of this mess” Obama told about 8,000 supporters in Cleveland, Ohio, in an auditorium that was about two-thirds full.

“If everyone who fought for change in 2008 shows up to vote in 2010, we will win this election,” he said.

Spurred by voter discontent with the ailing economy and with Obama, Republicans are expected to recapture control of the House of Representatives and make big Senate gains on Tuesday.

Democrats hope to hang on to a narrow majority in the Senate by pulling out victories in a few tight Senate races in states like California, Washington and West Virginia.

Republican leaders said the results will be a rejection of Obama's economic leadership, which includes costly government programs like the economic stimulus and broad initiatives like the healthcare overhaul.

“If Republicans win, that's what it will be: a repudiation of Obama's policies” Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, head of the Republican Governors Association, said on NBC's “Meet the Press.”

Sarah Palin, the Republican vice presidential candidate in 2008, said Tuesday's voting would be “a political earthquake” that would send a message to Obama.

“They're going to say, 'You blew it, President Obama. We gave you the two years to fulfil your promise of making sure that our economy starts roaring back to life again,'” she said of voters while appearing on “Fox News Sunday.”

Republican control of at least the House could result in efforts to repeal parts of the healthcare bill and a renewed bout of gridlock on pending issues like expiring tax cuts, climate change and immigration. Neither side was predicting a new era of compromise.

All 435 House seats, 37 of 100 Senate seats and 37 of 50 state governors' offices are up for grabs in Tuesday's voting. Republicans must pick up 39 Democratic seats to take power in the House and 10 to take the Senate.