Republican officials Rob Collins, Phil Cox and Matt Walter all seemed pleased at a briefing for journalists about the GOP's midterm election prospects, as did former first lady Mamie Eisenhower. Frank James/NPR hide caption

The I-75 highway modernization project in Dayton, Ohio, in April 2014. Skip Peterson/AP hide caption

Georgia Republican senatorial candidates Rep. Jack Kingston of Savannah (left) and former Dollar General CEO David Perdue at a debate in May. David Tulis/AP hide caption

Florida Republican state Sen. Rene Garcia examines a map of proposed changes in congressional districts in January 2012. Chris O'Meara/AP hide caption

Speaking about the need for congressional action on immigration, President Obama told a crowd at the Paramount Theatre in Austin, Texas, on Thursday that he would "love it if the Republicans did stuff too." Jack Plunkett/AP hide caption

Immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally stand in line for bus tickets after their release in June from a U.S. Customs and Border Protection processing facility in McAllen, Texas. Eric Gay/AP hide caption

Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., walks with Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, on Capitol Hill on June 4. J. Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption

Mississippi Sen. Thad Cochran (center) may have scored the equivalent of a winning political touchdown in the Republican primary last month, but Chris McDaniel, who lost, still wants to see the replay. Rogelio V. Solis/AP hide caption

When it comes to the Supreme Court's Hobby Lobby ruling, Georgia Democratic Senate candidate Michelle Nunn must navigate between her state's conservative electorate and her national party. David Goldman/AP hide caption

The House Ethics Committee dismayed government watchdogs by reducing disclosure requirements for privately paid trips taken by members of Congress. Matthias Schrader/AP hide caption

President Obama, accompanied by Vice President Biden in the White House Rose Garden, lashed out at House Republicans for stalling immigration legislation. Charles Dharapak/AP hide caption

House Republicans argue the illegality of executive action signings, like one in April 2014 in which President Obama acted to close the gender compensation gap among federal contractors. Susan Walsh/AP hide caption

Some voters are a lot more complicated than is commonly understood, a new Pew Research Center study suggests. In Denver, an election worker collects a mail-in ballot from a voter on Tuesday. Ed Andrieski/AP hide caption

The U.S. government-backed loans that help Boeing and other U.S. manufacturers sell abroad has opponents of renewing the Export-Import Bank's charter accusing it of crony capitalism. Elaine Thompson/AP hide caption

Polls give Chris McDaniel the advantage going into Tuesday's runoff for Mississippi's GOP Senate nomination. His 2-year-old son helped rally supporters in Madison, Miss., on Thursday. Rogelio V. Solis/AP hide caption