Democrats to Hold On to House Majority
Party lost several districts to Republicans in the election, shrinking their majority in the chamber
WASHINGTON—Democrats have clinched a majority in the House of Representatives by reaching 218 seats, the Associated Press said on Tuesday, holding on to power in the wake of a weaker-than-expected showing in the election.
Democrats lost several seats to Republicans in the Nov. 3 election, shrinking their majority in the House, in part due to President Trump and Republicans clawing back seats they had won in 2016 and lost in 2018.
Heading into the election, Democrats had a majority of 232 to 197, with one Libertarian and five open seats. That balance is now at 218 Democrats to 201 Republicans. Some races are still to be decided.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) has acknowledged that the House outcome was much different than in the 2018 cycle, when the party won 43 seats held by Republicans, pointing to Mr. Trump’s presence on the ballot this time.
“We lost a few seats, but as I said we won those seats in Trump districts [in 2018], he wasn’t on the ballot, he is now,” she said last week.
Mr. Trump had a stronger night than many pollsters had anticipated, and helped lift House candidates to victories. Coming into Election Day, many nonpartisan prognosticators had predicted the Democrats would gain seats.
House Democrats have expressed frustration with party leaders over the weak showing, saying Mrs. Pelosi and others oversold their prospects and didn’t adequately protect candidates in competitive races from being labeled as socialists.
Mrs. Pelosi is seeking another term as speaker in the next Congress, but her path could be complicated by the losses in the election.
On Monday, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Cheri Bustos said she plans to leave her position after this term, in the wake of the party’s setbacks. Ms. Bustos, an Illinois Democrat who represents a district that President Trump won in 2016, had campaigned for the position by saying she understood Trump voters.
The Democrats also had hoped to win back the majority of the Senate, but Republicans successfully defended most of their competitive seats, and the called races currently stand at 49-48 in favor of the GOP. Republicans lead in Alaska, and both Georgia races are headed for runoffs in January.