Republicans seized control of the U.S. Congress on Tuesday, reclaiming power in the Senate and expanding their majority in the House of Representatives in a historic sweep for Republican President George W. Bush . Republicans beat incumbent Democrats in Georgia and Missouri to reclaim at least a one-seat margin of power in the Senate, with races in Minnesota, South Dakota and Louisiana undecided.

They also picked up at least two seats in the House, building on their six-seat majority in a huge win for Bush, who crisscrossed the country nonstop in the campaign's final days to drum up Republican support.

Bush's younger brother Jeb won re-election as governor in Florida and Democrat Gov. Gray Davis won re-election in California, while Republicans claimed the governor's mansion in Maryland for the first time in 36 years on a big night for the party nationwide.

The sweep gives Bush new stature to wage a military campaign against Iraq and push his agenda through Congress, including initiatives on taxes, a new Homeland Security Department and federal judicial nominees.

All 435 House seats, 34 of 100 Senate seats and 36 state governorships were at stake in the midterm election. The Republicans took power in both chambers of Congress and the White House for the first time since Vermont Sen. James Jeffords became an independent last year, handing control to the Democrats.

With the Republican gains, Bush became only the third president in a century to gain House seats in a midterm election after Democrats Franklin Roosevelt in 1934 and Bill Clinton in 1998. Bush was the first president to gain Senate seats at midterm since Republican Ronald Reagan in 1982.

"People are tired of the gridlock they've seen in Congress," Republican House Speaker Dennis Hastert said on CNN. "They want to see a good positive movement in Congress."

Republicans picked up a Democratic Senate seat in Georgia, where Rep. Saxby Chambliss defeated incumbent Democratic Sen. Max Cleland, and beat Missouri incumbent Jean Carnahan, who was appointed to the seat two years ago to replace her husband who won election weeks after dying in a small plane crash.

Democrats picked up a seat in Arkansas by knocking off incumbent Republican Tim Hutchinson.

The races were still too close to call in South Dakota and Minnesota, where Republican Norm Coleman was leading Democrat Walter Mondale, 74, a former vice president, senator and presidential nominee. Mondale stepped into the race last week to replace Sen. Paul Wellstone, who died in a plane crash.

Officials said a million ballots remained to be hand counted and a result in Minnesota was not expected until morning.

The Senate race in Louisiana was headed to a runoff as Democratic incumbent Mary Landrieu did not gain the 50 percent of the vote needed to avert a Dec. 7 showdown between the state's two top vote-getters.

"We weren't able to get our message out because of so much talk about terror and war in Iraq," said Democratic Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, head of the party's Senate campaign committee.

Republicans held off Democratic challenges for open Republican seats in New Hampshire, Texas, North Carolina, Tennessee and South Carolina. Highly endangered Republican incumbent Wayne Allard pulled out a win in Colorado.

DOLE WINS

Republican Elizabeth Dole , a two-time Cabinet member and wife of former Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole, won a key victory in North Carolina against Democrat Erskine Bowles, former White House chief of staff, for the Republican seat of retiring legend Sen. Jesse Helms.

Republicans Lamar Alexander in Tennessee, Lindsey Graham in South Carolina and John Sununu in New Hampshire also held open Republican seats.

Former New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg, 78, a three-term veteran of the Senate who retired two years ago, will return after pulling off an easy win less than a month after replacing scandal-scarred Democratic Sen. Robert Torricelli on the ballot.

In Florida, Jeb Bush beat back a strong challenge from Tampa lawyer Bill McBride. President Bush campaigned heavily for his brother in Florida, where he won his presidential victory two years ago after a five-week vote recount.

The president called his younger brother to congratulate him, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said, adding, "He's very proud of his brother."

Republicans scored a surprising win in heavily Democratic Maryland, where Republicans reclaimed the governor's mansion for the first time in 36 years against Democrat Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, daughter of slain Sen. Robert Kennedy.

FLORIDA SMOOTH

In Florida, where voting irregularities put the 2000 presidential election result on hold for five weeks, new touch-screen equipment worked smoothly in the heavily populated southern counties of Miami-Dade and Broward.

"I think we finally have this monkey off of our back that we can't conduct a proper election," said Florida Secretary of State Jim Smith.

Former Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris , who became a villain to Democrats and a hero to Republicans for her role in the state's presidential recount in 2000, was elected to the House.

House incumbents who lost on Tuesday included Republican Rep. Connie Morella in Maryland and Democratic Reps.

Karen Thurman of Florida and Bill Luther of Minnesota. Democrats James Maloney in Connecticut, David Phelps in Illinois and Ronnie Shows in Mississippi, and Republican George Gekas in Pennsylvania, lost matchups against other incumbents caused by redistricting.

Democrats appeared to be picking up a number of state governorships, giving them a stronger organizational and fund-raising base for the 2004 presidential campaign.

Democrats won Republican governorships in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Michigan, Wisconsin and New Mexico, but lost seats to Republicans in Georgia, South Carolina, Maryland and New Hampshire.

Republican Gov. Rick Perry won re-election in Texas, defending Bush's former office from a challenge by free-spending Democrat Tony Sanchez. New York Republican Gov. George Pataki also won re-election.

PHOTO CAPTION

U.S. President George W. Bush gives the thumbs up to the press on the South Lawn of the White House on November 5. REUTERS/William Philpott