For GOP, is 2010 another 1994?

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- Despite a slip in the polls for U.S. President Barack Obama, Republicans will make inroads but not reclaim Congress in the 2010 elections, observers predict.

History shows a new president's party loses congressional seats in the first election after he takes office, and both parties say the Democrats face tough fights and will drop congressional seats in the 2010 midterm elections, The Wall Street Journal said.

However, analysts told the Journal 2010 is not 1994, when the Democrats experienced a stunning defeat after Bill Clinton became president. For one thing, all but nine House Democrats said they are defending their seats. In 1994, 29 incumbent House members in the party vacated their seats, and Democrats lost 22 of those spots.

Also Obama, despite the political storm clouds of healthcare, Afghanistan and the economy, hasn't fallen as far in popularity as Clinton did -- so far.

Equally important, analysts said, Democratic leaders warned lawmakers earlier in the political season to prepare for a tough fight in 2010. In 1994, lots of Democrats didn't realize until much later that they were in trouble, the report said.

Going into the 2010 cycle, Democrats' margins would make a Republican takeover difficult. Democrats hold a 256-177 edge in the House, with two seats vacant. In the Senate, Democrats have 58 seats to the GOP's 40. Two independents normally side with Democrats.