Democrats win sizable US House majority amid sweep of close races

WASHINGTON — Democrats will regain control of the U.S. House early next year, after voters throughout the country rejected the policies that Republicans and President Donald Trump implemented during the last two years. The Associated Press, which States Newsroom looks to for the projected winner of congressional races, called the House for Democrats early Wednesday morning after the party passed the 218-seat threshold. While there are still some close races without a declared winner, the latest unofficial results show both the House and Senate will flip to Democratic majorities in early January when the next session of Congress begins. Democrats are on track to have at least 224 lawmakers in the House and a minimum of 53 in the Senate, giving them considerable negotiating leverage with Trump, if he chooses to broker bipartisan agreements. Trump, who was watching the returns from the White House, wrote in a social media post that he wasn’t responsible for the Republican losses. “I wasn’t on the Ballot and if I was, we would have won IN A LANDSLIDE! Thank you for your attention to this matter,” he wrote. Trump later posted an image of a red baseball cap with the word “VETO” embroidered into it, indicating he may not be open to working with Democrats despite the signal voters sent. New York Democratic Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, who is expected to become the first Black speaker, celebrated late Tuesday night as early returns showed the party was poised to flip that chamber of Congress. “The American people have spoken and made clear they’ve had enough of the extremism, enough of the corruption,” he said. “They want a Congress that’s going to deliver for the American people, and that is exactly what House Democrats will do as soon as we get into office in January.” Democrats, he said, understand voters expect the party to “deliver dramatic change” to help people struggling with the rising cost of living. Jeffries also pledged to “bring accountability to those who have visited unprecedented corruption on this country.” “Because if you have people in high office who are so focused on enriching themselves, their family members, their friends, or their donors, then they’re not focused on making life better for the American people,” he said. Louisiana Republican Rep. Mike Johnson, the current speaker, wrote in a statement that “the American people have made the same decision that has been made in all but two midterms in the last century.” “While the outcome of this midterm is not what we’d hoped and fought for, a new battle is just beginning,” Johnson wrote. “This Democrat House majority will be led by the most radical and extreme leftists in American history. However, Republicans will never stop fighting to defend the Constitution and protect the foundations that have made America the greatest nation in the history of the world.” Democrats are likely to launch a series of investigations — and possibly impeachment proceedings — into the president and members of his administration. The simmering tension between the two parties is only projected to grow amid divided government, but Republicans and Democrats will need to work together on issues like government funding if they want to avoid more record-setting shutdowns. Republicans have so far lost a total of 25 seats to Democrats, including some that were considered safe for GOP candidates. California’s 1st district, where state Sen. Mike McGuire defeated Republican incumbent James Gallagher. California’s 3rd district went to incumbent Democratic Rep. Ami Bera, who was redistricted after the state redrew lines to favor Democrats. California’s 41st district went to incumbent Democratic Rep. Linda Sánchez, who…

Originally published by News From The States.
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