election 2010

Some experts say a power split in Washington is just what investors need. Others argue that the results of the past 61 years don't bear that out. Maybe, it's really the Fed's monetary policy that really dictates which direction stocks go.

Networks broadcasting midterm election results attracted 11% more viewers than they did during the 2006 elections, and about a third more than the 2002 midterms, indicating the heightened level political interest among Americans concerned about House and Senate races, Nielsen reported Friday.

Now that midterm elections are over, President Barack Obama and Republicans have promised to work together. But how long will the spirit of cooperation last? One of the first big tests will be whether Congress can raise its debt ceiling early next year.

With the two houses divided, the parties will have to compromise. But will they? The challenge will become acute if the Fed's latest stimulus gambit falls short, leaving the economy gasping. The GOP's aversion to spending could be tested.

Election 2010 shows business leaders aren't necessarily electable. Former eBay CEO Meg Whitman (left) and ex-HP CEO Carly Fiorina joined former WWE CEO Linda McMahon and Greer Industries CEO John Raese as GOP losers on a big night for Republicans.

It looks like a ballot measure to legalize marijuana in California has failed. Proposition 19 would have made it legal for adults of drinking age to possess up to 1 ounce of pot, as well as to grow and smoke the drug in private, and would have authorized local governments to tax its sale.

Economic concerns topped Americans' priority lists Tuesday, pushing many to the Republicans, according to exit polls. Most voters say they're dissatisfied with the federal government and disapprove of Congress.

As California voters wait to find out whether they've suspended a major global-warming law, which requires the state to scale back carbon emissions 25% to 1990 levels by 2020, New Mexico on Tuesday passed its own measure to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions -- but it only takes effect if other states follow suit.

If history is any indicator, stocks tend to do best when the president is a Democrat and Congress is Republican. Other precedents offer conflicting signs. But it seems clear that stocks often outperform in the year after a midterm election.

What companies have shelled out the most to America's political campaigns? Using data from the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, we've created a top-10 list, offering a look at the candidates they support, the issues that concern them and their lobbying habits.