In the middle and southern regions of the country, the GOP moved the pieces on the board, decimating so-called Blue Dog Democrats and gaining ground in industrial heartland states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin that had eluded the party for years.
For almost 60 years, from 1938 until his retirement in 1996, Mr Sacher was an active member of the board of Roche and so only too aware of the controversies that seemed constantly to dog the profitable pharmaceutical group.