OP hopefuls in Missouri and Indiana uttered clumsy statements about rape and abortion that severely damaged their chances and the party's hopes of taking over.

Republicans recaptured control of the House early Wednesday, besting Democrats in a billion-dollar battle and ensuring that the chamber will be dominated by their conservative agenda.

Altering the course of U.S social policy, Maine and Maryland became the first states to approve same-sex marriage by popular vote.

Gov. Bill Haslam's state budget hearings continue in Nashville with presentations by officials for transportation, children's services and other departments.

A slim majority of Puerto Ricans sought to change their ties with the United States and become the 51st U.S. state in a non-binding referendum that would require final approval from Congress.

Republican U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais overcame questions about his divorce and rumors he encouraged his mistress to have an abortion to win re-election.

The former Massachusetts governor, who lost to Rick Santorum in the state's Republican primary in March, had few problems gaining Tennessee's 11 electoral votes Tuesday.

"You made your voice heard," Obama said in his acceptance speech, signaling that he believes the bulk of the country is behind his policies. It's a sticking point for House Republicans, sure to balk at that.

Obama and Romney are neck-in-neck in Virginia, the first swing state to close the polls

Poll watchers in Memphis and Nashville were reporting many voting problems on Tuesday, but few had to do with the state's new voter photo ID law.

Republicans remain in position to continue controlling the House for the next two years by about the same 50-seat margin as they do today.

The former Chattanooga mayor easily defeated Democrat Mark Clayton, a part-time floor installer who was disavowed by the state party after the primary for his anti-gay views.

Biden voted Tuesday morning in his home state of Delaware and then boarded a plane for Chicago, where he's joining President Barack Obama to await the election returns.

The Supreme Court appears inclined to rule that a criminal defendant cannot be tried again after a judge acquits him midway through a trial, even if the judge bases his decision on a legal error.

Obama closed down his campaign late Monday with a nostalgia-filled rally in Iowa, the state that jumpstarted his first presidential bid.

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's yearslong quest for the presidency is ending with a last-minute round of campaigning in one state he's showered with attention and another he's largely ignored.

Republican U.S. Rep. Scott DesJarlais has reached the finish line of his re-election bid before potentially damaging trial transcripts from his 2001 divorce were made public.

The first day of hearings will cover several different departments, including safety, tourist development, military, veterans affairs, agriculture, health, education and environment and conservation.

The GOP in Tuesday's election claimed at least two seats necessary in both chambers to gain the supermajority. The margins are now 24-9 in the Senate and 67-24 in the House, with one independent.

Residents of two tiny villages in northern New Hampshire headed to the polls at midnight, casting the first Election Day votes in the nation.

So, you think the presidential election is over? Not hardly. As the dust settles on 2012, politicians start jockeying for position in the 2016 race.

Sixty percent of voters who cast ballots on Election Day or earlier say the economy is the most important issue in their vote, according to an early CBS News exit poll.

New Jersey's famously tough-talking governor finally got a hug from his longest-running unrequited lov

The Tennessee Secretary of State's Division of Elections Office has set up a toll-free hotline number for anyone with questions or concerns or voting in this Tuesday's election.

Knox Co. voters now have another way to find election night returns. The county's IT dept. on Monday unveiled its new iPad app.