Angry Dems turn against leaders
Meanwhile, GOP lauds Ga. victory
WASHINGTON — Democratic Party divisions were on glaring display Wednesday as a special election loss in a wildly expensive Georgia House race left bitter lawmakers turning their angeron their own leaders.
“Weas Democrats have to come to terms with the fact that we lost again,” said Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass. “Personally I think it’s time for a new generation of leadershipin the party.”
The loss in Georgia followed similar disappointments in special House elections in Kansas and Montana, as well as in South CarolinaTuesday night. The Carolina outcome was closer than in Georgia but drew little national attention.
Republicans in the conservative Atlanta suburbs and across the country, meanwhile, were elated Wednesday after avoiding a loss that could have damaged President Donald Trump’s hopes of enacting his agenda, including streamliningthe tax code.
White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters told reporters aboard Air Force One that Republican Karen Handel’s win serves as proof that “the American people are resonating with the president’s agenda” and wantto see it enacted.
Back on the road in Iowa on Wednesday night, Mr. Trump at a campaign-style rally signaled he is unconcerned with garnering Democratic support on legislation and warned foes they are “lucky” his supporters arenot the protesting kind.
“We’re 5-0 in special elections,” said Mr. Trump in front of a boisterous crowd that packed a downtown arena. “The truth is, people love us ... they haven’t figured it out yet.”
In the well-to-do Atlanta suburbs, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California was the focus of torrents of negative advertising in a House race that cost more than $50 million, the most expensive in history. Ms. Handel beat Democrat Jon Ossoff by about 5 percentage points.
Although the race was widely viewed as a referendum on Mr. Trump, he was rarely discussed by either candidate, and House Democrats were rattled that the attack ads casting the 77-yearold Ms. Pelosi as a San Fran-ciscoliberal proved potent.
Democrats hope to pick up 24 House seats to retake themajority.
“It makes [that] a heck of a lot harder,” said Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, who unsuccessfully challenged Ms. Pelosi in a leadership election last fall. The Democratic “brand is worse than Trump.”
In a letter to Democrats late Wednesday, Ms. Pelosi insisted majority control of theHouse is up for grabs.
Russia threat highlighted
U.S. officials sought Wednesday to underscore for lawmakers the threat Russia posed to the 2016 vote for the White House, outlining efforts to hack into election systems in 21 states and to fill the internet with misinformation during a divisive campaign season.
They also said none of the digital intrusions affected theparts of electoral systems thatcounted votes.
The officials — including Jeh Johnson, the former head of the Homeland Security Department, and other officials from the DHS. FBI, Wisconsin and Indiana — also revealed to House and Senate committees what appeared to be a breakdown in communications about how severe the threat appeared, and they reported tensions the Obama administration faced in trying to publicly warn of meddling in the face of a skeptical then-candidate Mr.Trump.
“One of the candidates, as you’ll recall, was predicting that the election was going to be rigged in some way. And so we were concerned that, by making the statement, we might in and of itself be challenging the integrity of the — of the election process itself,” said Mr. Johnson.
Gianforte joins House
The newest member of Congress — Rep. Greg Gianforte of Montana, who body-slammed a reporter last month — drew boos from some in his own Republican caucus on Wednesday as he called for withholding lawmakers’ pay unless they approve a balanced budget.