The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Dems gain in quest for House control
WASHINGTON >> Democrats were gaining significant ground in the battle for House control Tuesday night, while Republicans held their Senate majority as voters rendered a mixed verdict in the first nationwide election of Donald Trump’s turbulent presidency.
The results allowed both parties to claim partial victory, but highlighted a realignment of U.S. voters by race, sex and education. Republicans maintained strength in conservative, rural states, while Democrats made inroads in suburbs.
With control of Congress, statehouses and the president’s agenda at stake, some of the nation’s top elections were too close to call.
Yet Democrats’ dreams of the Senate majority as part of a “blue wave” were shattered after losses in Indiana, Tennessee, North Dakota and Texas. They also suffered a setback in Florida, where Democrat Andrew Gillum conceded in his bid to become the state’s first African-American governor. The AP hadn’t called the race.
In the broader fight for control in the Trump era, the political and practical stakes on Tuesday were sky high.
Democrats could derail Trump’s legislative agenda for the next two years should they win control of the House. And they would claim subpoena power to investigate Trump’s personal and professional shortcomings.
Some Democrats have already vowed to force the release of his tax returns. Others have pledged to pursue impeachment, although removal from office is unlikely so long as the GOP controls the Senate.
Democrats won half the seats they needed to claim House control with dozens additional competitive contests remaining. Victories in contested races across Florida, New York, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Minnesota gave cause for optimism.
Trump’s team immediately sought to give him credit for retaining their narrow Senate majority, even as their foothold in the more competitive House battlefield appeared to be slipping.
“It’s a huge moment and victory for the president,” Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said at the White House Tuesday night.
Meanwhile, two issues were on most voters’ minds as they cast ballots. Twentyfive percent described health care and immigration as the most important issues in the election, according to AP VoteCast, a national survey of the electorate. Nearly twothirds said Trump was a reason for their vote.
Democrats, whose very relevance in the Trump era depended on winning at least one chamber of Congress, were laser-focused on health care as they predicted victories that would break up the GOP’s monopoly in Washington and state governments.
Yet Trump’s party will maintain Senate control for the next two years, at least.
In Texas, Sen Ted Cruz staved off a tough challenge from Democrat Beto O’Rourke, whose recordsmashing fundraising and celebrity have set off buzz he could be a credible 2020 White House contender.