Republicans will hold Congress despite scandal-Bush

WASHINGTON, Oct 11 (Reuters) President George W. Bush today said voters will return control of Congress to his Republican party in November 7 elections, swayed by the economy and national security more than a Capitol Hill sex scandal.

''I still stand by my prediction we'll have a Republican speaker and Republican leader of the Senate,'' President Bush said at a news conference.

''I believe that we'll maintain control because we're on the right side of the economic issue and the security issue.'' Recent polls have shown President Bush and Republicans sinking amid public unhappiness over the Iraq war and the scandal involving lewd messages sent to teenage congressional assistants by former Republican Rep. Mark Foley.

But President Bush said his administration and the Republican-led Congress had boosted the economy and kept the United States safe, and those issues were more important to voters than the scandal.

''I know this Foley issue bothers a lot of people including me, but I think when they get in that booth they are going to be thinking about how best to secure the country from attack and how best to keep the economy going,'' President Bush said.

Democrats must pick up 15 House seats and six Senate seats in the November 7 election to seize control of Congress from Republicans.

Reuters SHB DB2231