Democrats took control of the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday night, ending six years of one-party rule. They also narrowed the Republicans' majority in the U.S. Senate to a margin so slim that, with one Senate race still too close to call, it was unclear who would control that chamber.

Taken as a whole, the returns represented a climactic end to a dark period for the American left. Across the country, Democrats cheered an opportunity to exercise control over the legislative branch of government (or at least one half of it) for the remaining two years of the Bush presidency. From new House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on down, victorious Democrats talked of a chance to help chart a new course on a host of issues, foremost among them the war in Iraq.

"We got our country back tonight," said an exultant Patty Murray, Washington's senior Democratic senator, as she addressed a packed ballroom at the Bellevue Westin Hotel. "This country has said, from state to state, from community to community, from family to family, it's time for a change."

Many local Democrats gathered in Bellevue, in the heart of the Eastside's traditionally Republican congressional district, to wait for the results of one of the nation's tightest House races, the contest between Eastside Republican incumbent Dave Reichert and Democratic challenger Darcy Burner. But while the Democrats were projected to take the House by at least 25 seats, the Burner-Reichert race remained too close to call as of press time.

In the Senate, the decisive victory by Washington senator Maria Cantwell contributed to the Democrats' strong showing. Cantwell easily dispensed with Republican challenger Mike McGavick, beating him by about 15 points as of press time. It was a victory not only for Cantwell's generally liberal voting record on social and environmental issues, but also for her ability to thread the needle on the Iraq war, which she'd initially supported. By placating (and, some said, buying off) a few of her most vocal critics on the left, and by gradually ramping up her criticisms of the handling of the war throughout her campaign, Cantwell finally seemed to have found the right tone on the issue.

Cantwell's victory represented a "hold"—the Democratic retention of a Senate seat. Democrats picked up Senate seats in Ohio, Rhode Island, Missouri, and were leading in Montana at press time. And, most deliciously for the left, they also picked up Pennsylvania, where Republican senator Rick Santorum was utterly crushed by Democrat Bob Casey. Republicans appeared to hold Tennessee, despite a strong challenge from Democrat Harold Ford. In Virginia, the Senate race remained too close to call late into Tuesday night, and was likely headed to a recount. At a minimum, however, Democrats had come to hold 49 seats in the Senate, making that chamber almost evenly split.

"Tonight the American people voted for change and they voted for Democrats to take our country in a new direction, and that is exactly what we are going to do," said Pelosi, who used her victory speech in Washington, D.C., to quickly pivot to a defining issue of the campaign, President Bush's handling of the Iraq war.

"'Stay the course' has not made our country safer, has not honored our country's commitment to our troops, and has not made the region more stable," Pelosi said. "We cannot continue down this catastrophic path. And so we say to the president: 'Mr. President, we need a new direction in Iraq.'"

Late on Tuesday night at the Bellevue Westin, Burner told the crowd that she was pleased by her strong showing and would await more returns before deciding whether to concede or declare victory. "I figure we should know within the next month who actually won this," she joked, harking back to last year's months-long dispute over the governor's race.

Reichert held a four-point lead Tuesday night, but there were still a lot of votes yet to be counted.