GOP clinging to Congress as voters test Trump strength
REPUBLICANS WERE clinging to delicate majorities in the House and Senate last night as an anxious nation watched whether voters would reward or reject the GOP in the first nationwide election of Donald Trump’s turbulent presidency.
With control of Congress and statehouses across the nation at stake, many of the nation’s top elections were too close to call.
Democrats seized early victories in contested House races in Florida and in Virginia, but lost a high-profile contest in Kentucky.
At the same time, Democrats re-elected embattled New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez, who, less than a year ago, stood trial for federal corruption charges. The Justice Department dropped the charges after his trial ended in an hung jury.
In Virginia, political newcomer Jennifer Wexton defeated twoterm GOP Rep Barbara Comstock. The Republican incumbent had been branded Barbara ‘Trumpstock’ by Democrats in a race that pointed to Trump’s unpopularity among college-educated women in the suburbs.
In south Florida, former Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala defeated Republican Maria Elvira Salazar.
Democrats failed to defeat a vulnerable incumbent in Kentucky, where Republican Rep Andy Barr won over former Marine fighter pilot Amy McGrath.
Anxious Republicans privately expressed confidence in their narrow Senate majority but feared the House could slip away. The GOP’s grip on highprofile governorships in Florida, Georgia and Wisconsin were at risk as well.
Long lines and malfunctioning machines marred the first hours of voting in some precincts, including in Georgia, where some voters reported waiting up to three hours to vote in a hotly contested gubernatorial election. More than 40 million Americans had already voted, either by mail or in person, breaking early voting records across 37 states, according to an AP analysis.
The nationwide survey indicated that nearly two-thirds said Trump was a reason for their vote.
Overall, six in 10 voters said the country was headed in the wrong direction, but roughly that same number described the national economy as excellent or good.
Up to news time, the results were not yet determined for both the House and the Senate, The Gleaner will provide an update online.