The Democrats have held majorities in the Senate and House from 1954 to 1980, when Republicans took control of the Senate while Democrats kept control of the House. Republicans need a gain of 51 seats to get control of the House this year. Democrats need a gain of six seats to regain control of the Senate.

President:

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 6, 1984 (UPI) -- A triumphant President Reagan, handed a landslide re-election mandate of near record proportions, hailed the success of his final campaign Tuesday night and declared: ''This is not the end of anything. It's the beginning of everything.''

WASHINGTON, Nov. 6, 1984 (UPI) - Republicans, clutching President Reagan's coattails, beat back a Democratic assault Tuesday to keep control of the Senate. Projections in key contests showed Democrats retaining a numerical edge in the House.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 7, 1984 (UPI) - Democrats retained a leadership lock on the House Tuesday and said they expected to choke off Republican attempts to rebuild a coalition able to push key legislation through for President Reagan.

ST. PAUL, Minn., Nov. 7, 1984 (UPI) - Walter Mondale, whose bid for the presidency was demolished in a Reagan landslide, said today he will not run for elective office again.

The Soviet Union took a conciliatory approach to President Reagan's landslide victory today, saying U.S.-Soviet differences can be resolved, while Western leaders expressed hope Reagan's mandate will bring Moscow back to arms talks.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 8, 1984 (UPI) - Democrats remain in control of 28 state legislatures and Republicans 11, but the GOP captured the Connecticut Legislature and wrested control of the Minnesota House from the opposition.

Democratic Party leaders across the nation believe the party must broaden its base, stop catering to special interests and in some cases forget the New Deal to recover from the 1984 election disaster.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 11, 1984 (UPI) - Voter turnout in the 1984 presidential election went up for the first time since 1960, but the increase may have been stunted by television projections of President Reagan's landslide victory.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 12, 1984 (UPI) - Whatever else the results of the congressional elections signal, conservative members of the House are likely to interpret the outcome as an endorsement of their own political views.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14, 1984 (UPI) - President Reagan's landslide victory kept black voters from being a major factor in the White House race but votes by blacks decided some state and local contests, a post-election analysis showed Wednesday.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14, 1984 (UPI) - President Reagan says his second-term mandate is ''to pursue a steady course in international affairs'' and keep cutting the size and scope of big government in Washington.