Volatile elections see GOP hold on to Senate
United States
The Democrats appeared close to taking back the House yesterday in a victory that could slap a check on President Donald Trump’s agenda over the next two years and lead to a multitude of investigations into his business dealings and his administration.
The party needed a net gain of 23 seats to break the Republicans’ eight-year hold on the House that began with the tea party revolt of 2010. By late evening, as the polls on the West Coast closed, the Democrats had picked up at least 18 Gop-held seats in one of the most volatile midterm elections in modern US history.
While the Republican Party maintained control of the Senate, a win for the Democrats in the House would end the GOP monopoly on power in Washington and open a new era of divided government.
‘‘Tomorrow will be a new day in America,’’ Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said at a victory party in Washington.
Democratic candidates for the House flipped seats in several suburban districts outside of Washington, Philadelphia, Miami, Chicago and Denver that were considered prime targets for turnover because they were won by Hillary Clinton in 2016. They also made inroads into Trump country as Democrats tried to win back white working-class voters.
Midterm elections are typically difficult for the party in power, and GOP incumbents were on the defensive in many races across the country. As Election Day unfolded, Democrats were increasingly confident, predicting a House majority on the strength of voter enthusiasm, robust fundraising and unusually fresh candidates. More women than ever were running, along with veterans and minorities, many of them motivated by Trump’s rise.
The campaign unfolded against a backdrop of heated rhetoric and angry debates on immigration, health care and the role of Congress in overseeing the president.
To stem Republican losses, Trump sprinted through mostly white regions of the country, interjecting dark and foreboding warnings about what Democratic power would mean for the nation.
The debate was dominated not by the GOP’S $1.5 trillion tax cuts but by Trump’s dire prediction of ‘‘invasion’’ from the migrant caravan and what he called the ‘‘radical’’ agenda of speaker-inwaiting Pelosi.
GOP Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana predicted his party would retain a slim majority, saying on election eve: ‘‘In the end, we hold the House because of the strong economy.’’
Health care and immigration were high on voters’ minds as they cast ballots, according to a survey of the American electorate conducted by AP. AP Votecast also showed a majority of voters considered Trump a factor in their votes. –