The Republicans had won a 232-seat majority in 2004. By the time of the 2006 election, they held 229 seats, while the Democrats held 201, plus 1 Independent who caucused with the Democrats. There were also four vacancies. Republicans held a 28-seat advantage, and Democrats needed to pick up 15 seats to take control of the House, which had had a Republican majority since January 1995. The public's perception of George W. Bush, the handling of the war in Iraq, and a series of political scandals involving mostly congressional Republicans took their toll on the party at the ballot box.