Obama admits 'mistake' after shock loss

Washington: In a major electoral upset, the US Republicans wrested the Massachusetts Senate seat held by late senator Ted Kennedy for 47 years from the Democrats, dealing a huge blow to the prospects of President Barack Obama's ambitious health care bill.

The victory of Republican Scott Brown came as a major setback to Democrats who lost their filibuster majority of 60 in the 100 seat Senate which was essential for the health care reform bill to clear the Congress, and will also make it more difficult to pass legislations on climate change and other White House priorities.

Obama, meanwhile, urged lawmakers not to try to jam a bill through, but scale the proposal down to parts of the package people agreed on.

"The Senate certainly shouldn't try to jam anything through until Scott Brown is seated, and the people of Massachusetts spoke, he has got to be part of that process," the US President said.

"The same thing that swept Scott Brown into office swept me into office, people are angry and they are frustrated. Not just because what has happened in the last year or two years but what's happened over the last eight years," he said.

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"That I do think is a mistake of mine," Obama said, diagnosing a mood of anger and frustration in the United States over the grinding and lingering impact of the worst recession for decades.

With nearly all votes counted, Brown had 52 per cent to Democrat Martha Coakley's 47 per cent. The shock defeat for the Democrats comes at a time when a number of gubernatorial posts and more Senate seats would be up for reckoning by November this year.

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Brown's surprise victory in a Democrat stronghold is also seen as a stern rebuke for Obama who completed a year in office on Wednesday.

"The President congratulated Senator Brown... The President told Brown that he looks forward to working with him on the urgent economic challenges facing Massachusetts families and struggling families across our nation," White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said in a statement.

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The Republicans immediately termed the verdict a defeat of Obama's policies, saying it was "a referendum on bad policies, not a bad candidate".

Terming it the biggest political upset in US Senate's history, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said: "Today's vote was a resounding rejection of an out-of-control Democratic agenda by one of the most sympathetic electorates in the country.

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"The Obama Administration and Democrats in Congress would be wise to listen to the American people, learn from this decisive defeat and change course," he said in a statement.

Obama also spoke to Coakley, thanking her for putting hard work into the campaign.

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Meanwhile, congratulating Brown on his electoral victory, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, said: "While Senator-elect Brown's victory changes the political math in the Senate, we remain committed to strengthening our economy, creating good paying jobs and ensuring all Americans can access affordable health care".

He said it was now more important than before for Republicans to work with the administration to find a common ground to improves Americans' lives.

With the all important Health Care bill pending in the US Congress, Graham said: "When it comes to health care reform, the message of the people of Massachusetts was very simple: Stop and start over. But we must do more than kill this bill".

Republican Senator Bob Corker said Wednesday's result reflects Americans' dissatisfaction with many of the current policy debates in Washington, especially health care, and urged Obama and his Democratic colleagues to go back to the drawing board on the current health care bill.