Obama said he and the Democrats took a “shellacking,” and the president blamed himself for the weak economic recovery that he said was the root of the largest reversal of fortunes in the House in 70 years.

But exit polling painted a different picture.

Seniors are the most reliable group of American voters and 59 percent of them voted Republican in the House contests.

They said Obama’s health care overhaul was the driving factor, with more than half of that group saying the measure should be repealed.

The independents said the didn’t like the way Obama was handling his job and took it out on Democrats, voting Republican as a group for the first time since 1998. More than half said the president’s policies hurt the country.

The number of independents who declared their vote represented opposition to Obama more than doubled those who said they supported him.

Tellingly, voters 65 and older were major supporters of the ultraconservative tea party movement, the loose amalgam of organizations that fueled the angry reject of the Democrats with calls for smaller government and lower taxes. Older voters were likeliest to consider themselves tea party supporters, with almost half — 49 percent — saying they back the conservative movement. Nine in 10 of them voted Republican on Tuesday.

Boehner echoed those concerns and demands, saying it’s “time for us to roll up our sleeves and get to work.” He said the agenda the Republicans will push includes efforts to cut government spending and create jobs.

As voting returns solidified Wednesday in races that had been too close to call, Sen. Michael Bennet narrowly defeated tea party-backed Republican Ken Buck to win a hard-fought Senate seat in Colorado. It had been viewed as a prime opportunity for the Republicans.

Two Senate races remained undecided: Alaska and Washington state.

While the outcome of some House races still were not known, the 60-seat Republican gain was far more than what was needed for a majority. About two dozen races remained too close to call. The Republicans’ victory eclipsed the 54-seat pickup by the so-called “revolution” that retook the House in 1994 for the first time in 40 years and the 56-seat Republican gain in 1946.

All 435 seats in the House were on Tuesday’s ballot, plus 37 in the Senate. Also, 37 states chose governors.

Later this month, the current members, including those voted out of office, will go back to work to finish out their terms in what is known as a lame duck session.

The new Congress will begin its session in January. Aides said Wednesday no decision has been made on the first bill that Republicans will take up in the new Congress, and party leaders put taxes and government spending ahead of health care repeal as priorities.

The party’s repeal strategy is fluid.

Republicans could try to deny funds to carry out the law, which could backfire if it escalates to a government shutdown. The could use the oversight authority of Congress to slow down or block regulations, essentially tying up the instruction manual for the overhaul. Or Republican lawmakers may be able to pick off unpopular provisions.

Repealing the law was virtually impossible, however, because the Democrat-controlled Senate was unlikely to ever bring such a measure to a vote. Beyond that, Obama would veto such a repeal effort and the Republicans do not have the votes to override.