GOP eager to take Congress; Pelosi says Dems intend to win
>> Eager to claw back power in Congress, energized Republicans worked Tuesday to break the Democrats’ oneparty hold on Washington and threaten the future of President Joe Biden’s oncelofty agenda.
As polls began closing on the East Coast, the Democrats’ fragile grasp on power was at risk. With the narrowly held House and an evenly split Senate, the party faced a new generation of Republican candidates — among them political newcomers, including deniers of the 2020 election and some extremists inspired by Donald Trump.
The Republicans could bring a new intensity to Capitol Hill with promises to end Biden’s most ambitious plans and to launch investigations and closer oversight — even, potentially, impeachment of the president.
Tuesday saw the first major national elections since the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, and emotions were raw. The violent assault on Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband has stunned many, and federal law enforcement warned of heightened threats nationwide. Biden’s party labored to hold on by the most tenuous of margins.
“We intend to win,” Pelosi told the PBS “NewsHour,” insisting that Democrats have “far superior candidates” and voters will turn out to support them.
“So I think you’ll be surprised this evening,” Pelosi said.
All 435 seats in the House and one-third of the Senate were being decided. If Republican newcomers help the party seize control of the House, and possibly the Senate, the outcome will pose new challenges for Congress’ ability to govern.
Early in the evening, three new senators were elected: Democrat Peter Welch of Vermont and Republicans Katie Britt of Alabama and Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma. All three will replace retiring senators. Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul won
reelection, as did GOP Sen. Marco Rubio in Florida.
In the House, several new Republicans were elected in redrawn Florida districts, including Aaron Bean, Laurel Lee, Anna Paulina Luna and Cory Mills. Joining them will be 25-year-old Democrat Maxwell Frost — the first member of Generation Z to win a seat in Congress.
Divided government has historically offered the possibility of bipartisan dealmaking, but Republican candidates campaigned instead on a platform to stop Democrats.
“I do think that this will end up being a period of government that is defined by conflict,” said Brendan Buck, a former top aide to the past two Republican speakers of the House.