
In this Sept. 21, 2012 file photo, House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio meets with reporter on Capitol Hill in Washington. A barrage of negative ads, more than $2 billion in spending and months of campaign stops come down to this reality: Americans will wake up Wednesday with likely the same divided Congress it had that past two years. Republicans are poised to keep their hold on the House, Democrats are most likely to narrowly hold the Senate. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
Democrats may pick up a handful of seats in Tuesday's voting. They had hoped to add the 25 seats needed to win control of the chamber. But those coattail dreams faded as Obama's lead over GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney shriveled.
The GOP also helped itself with a robust redrawing of congressional districts after the 2010 census to protect its incumbents.
This is the first re-election for the 87 House GOP freshmen of 2010 who came to office fueled by tea party support. Only around two dozen of them faced competitive races.







