GOP bolstered as Democrats falter
Regardless of top race, election keeps split Congress in tact
WASHINGTON — The election scrambled seats in the House and Senate but ultimately left Congress much like it began, deeply split as voters resisted big changes despite the heated race at the top of the ticket for the WhiteHouse.
It’s an outcome that dampens Democratic demands for a bold new agenda, emboldens Republicans and almost ensures partisan gridlock regardless of who wins the presidency. Or perhaps, as some say, it provides a rare opening for modest across-the-aisle cooperation.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi was on track to keep control of the Democratic House, but saw her majority shrinking and her leadership called into question. Republicans’ control of the Senate tilted their way as GOP senators fended off an onslaught of energized challengers, though a few races remained undecided Wednesday.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Wednesday that he’s confident “no matter who ends up running the government,” they’ll be “trying to overcome all that and get results.”
One certainty is the upended projections will force a rethinking of polling, fundraising and the messages the parties use to reach voters in the Trump era and beyond.
“Our purpose in this race was to win so thatwe could protect the Affordable Care Act and so that we could crush the virus,” Pelosi said earlier thisweek.
But the dismal outcome for Democrats put the brakes on the ambitious plans for legislative overhauls of health care, infrastructure and racial justice
pushed by the party, eager for a sweep of Washington government.
Even if Democrats capture the White House with Joe Biden and a narrowly split Senate, Pelosi’s leverage to force deal-making on her terms will be diminished by herHouse losses.
If Donald Trump wins another term, his Republican allies particularly in the Senate will likely feel more comfortable sticking with him after escaping an electoral wipeout, though they have yet to outline a GOP agenda.
Scott Jennings, a Republican strategist close to McConnell, said win or lose Trump “reorganized the political parties,” turning Republicans, not Democrats, into the party of “working-class” America.
“Democrats have a lot to think about when it comes
to those voters,” Jennings said. “AndRepublicans have a lot to think about enacting policies germane to those voters.”
Most immediately, a COVID relief bill remains within reach, as the pandemic blazes through the states. McConnell said he would also like to negotiate a big spending bill to keep the government running past a mid-December deadline.
Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer were notably quietWednesday.
House Republicans picked up five seats, so far, deflating Pelosi’s plans to reach deep into Trump country by making rare gains with women and minority candidates.
Republicans defeated several Democratic freshmen who delivered the
House majority in 2018 in a backlash against Trump, by linking them to their most liberalmembers.
“We expanded this party that reflects America, that looks like America,” said House Minority Leader KevinMcCarthy, R-Calif., in a conference call with reporters.
A handful of new progressives will be coming to Washington to join House Democrats, while Republicans will see new rightflank members, including Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has espoused unfounded QAnon conspiracy theories and won a vacant seat in northwest Georgia.
While Democrats picked up must-win seats in Arizona and Colorado, they suffered a setback in Alabama, and Republicans held their own in one race after another
— in Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Montana, South Carolina and Texas, dramatically limiting Democrats’ hopes of making inroads.
“I know folks are anxious,” Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy told followers on a live Twitter video. “We need to count the votes.”
The races attracted an unprecedented outpouring of small-dollar donations for Democrats from Americans apparently votingwith their pocketbooks to propel long-shot campaigns.
“You wasted a lot of money,” said White House ally Sen. LindseyGraham in Columbia, South Carolina, after defeating JamieHarrison, despite the Democrat’s stunning $100 million haul for his upstart campaign.
Still, Republican strategist Steven Law, president of the Senate Leadership Fund, which supports GOP senators, said future candidates are going to have to step up their own fundraising.
McConnell also warned of the continued problems Republicans face in the Trump era as voters turn away from the GOP.
“We need towin back the suburbs,” McConnell said. “We had a better election than most people thought we’d have, but we have improvements we need to make.”
Republicans believe Democrats erred by focusing almost exclusively on the COVID crisis and the risks to Americans’ health care asTrumpand theGOP try to unravel the Obamaera Affordable Care Act.
Voters care almost as much about the economy, they said.