US voters hand Democrats a check on Trump’s agenda
Bolstered ranks in the House countered by GOP control of Senate.
In the United States, Democrats took back the House of Representatives with a surge of fresh new candidates and an outpouring of voter enthusiasm on Tuesday, breaking the GOP’s monopoly on power in Washington and setting the stage for a multitude of investigations ofUSPresidentDonaldTrumpthatcouldengulf his administration over the next two years.
Ending eight years of Republican control that began with the Tea Party revolt of 2010, Democrats picked off more than two dozen GOP-held districts in suburbs across the nation on the way to securing the 218 seats needed for a majority.
Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, who is seeking to reclaim the gavel as House speaker, called it a “new day in America.”
She saluted “those dynamic, diverse and incredible candidates who have taken back the House for the American people.”
GRIDLOCK OR DEAL-MAKING?
With the Republicans keeping control of the Senate, the outcome in the House could mean gridlock for Trump’s agenda on Capitol Hill — or, conversely, it could open a new era of dealmaking.
As the majority party, the Democrats will chair important committees and will have expansive powers to investigate the president, his business dealings and the inner workings of his administration, including whether anyone from the Trump campaign colluded with the Russians to influence the 2016 presidential election. They will have authority to request Trump’s tax returns and subpoena power to obtain documents, emails and testimony.
However, any attempt to impeach Trump is likely to run headlong into resistance in the GOP- controlled Senate.
The campaign unfolded against a backdrop of ugly rhetoric and angry debates on immigration, health care and the role of Congress in overseeing the president.
In locking down a majority, Democratic candidatesflippedseatsinseveralsuburbandistricts outside Washington, Philadelphia, Miami, Chicago, Denver and Dallas that were considered prime targets for turnover because they were won by Hillary Clinton in 2016. The Democrats made only slight inroads in Trump country, wheretheytriedtowinbackwhiteworking-class voters.
Midterm elections are typically difficult for the party in power, but the GOP’s hold on power was further weakened by an unusually large number of retirements as well as infighting between conservatives and centrists over their allegiance to Trump.
The Democrats, in turn, benefitted from extraordinary voter enthusiasm, robust fundraising and unusually fresh candidates. More womenthaneverwererunning,alongwithveterans and minorities, many of them motivated by revulsion over Trump.
As returns came in, voters were on track to send at least 99 women to the House, shattering the record of 84 now. Perhaps the biggest new political star among them is New York’s 29-yearoldAlexandriaOcasio-Cortez,aliberalfirebrand from the Bronx.
Healthcare and immigration were high on voters’ minds as they cast ballots, according to a survey of the electorate by The Associated Press. AP VoteCast also showed a majority of voters considered Trump a factor in their votes.