Republicans in struggle to break Democrats’ hold on Congress

WASHINGTON (AP):

The promise of a red wave receding, Republicans slogged state by state in a determined fight to break the Democrats’ one-party hold on Washington, a breathtakingly close battle for control of Congress, and the future of President Joe Biden’s agenda.

On Wednesday, the Democrats’ fragile grasp on power in the House and the Senate remained at risk. The party faced a new generation of Republican candidates – among them 2020 election deniers and some extremists, inspired by Donald Trump, handily winning some seats.

But races stayed tight, and Republicans ran into stiff competition in their march across the country, dashing hopes for the sweeping gains they had promised, particularly in the House. Instead, they inched towards what could be another narrowly split Congress.

“The RED WAVE did not happen,” defeated Republican Rep Mayra Flores of Texas said in a tweet.

It was the first major national election since the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol, and emotions were raw. The recent violent assault on Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband has stunned many, and federal law enforcement warned of heightened threats nationwide. Biden’s party worked to hold on by the most tenuous of margins.

Even with a slim majority, the Republicans could bring a new intensity to Capitol Hill with promises to end Biden’s most ambitious plans, tighten congressional oversight, and launch gruelling investigations – even, potentially, impeachment of the president.

House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy, in line to become Speaker if his party takes control, vowed to win the majority as he addressed a crowd of supporters well past midnight in Washington.

“We are expanding this party,” McCarthy said, calling out the races won so far. “The American people are ready for a majority that will offer a new direction that will put America back on track.”

But the mood among Republicans was tense, as Democrats delivered a surprising run of the map in places Republicans expected to claim as their own.

“While many races remain too close to call, it is clear that House Democratic members and candidates are strongly outperforming expectations,” Pelosi said in a statement. “As states continue to tabulate the final results, every vote must be counted as cast.”

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 – especially if margins are tight.

In the race for the House, battleground Virginia provided a snapshot. Republican State Senator Jen Kiggans, a former Navy helicopter pilot, defeated Democratic RepElaine Luria, a former Navy commander who had touted her work on the House committee investigating the January 6 insurrection.

But elsewhere, Democratic Rep Abigail Spanberger prevailed over Trump-backed Yesli Vega in a suburban Virginia district Republicans hoped to flip. And Democrats held House seats in Rhode Island, Ohio, Kansas and New Hampshire that Republicans wanted, and they flipped some, including a suburban Illinois district, from Republicans.

Still, Republicans were slowly amassing some of the five seats needed to reach a 218-seat House majority.

They picked up a Nashville, Tennessee-area seat long held by Democrats. And in a dramatic example of the difficult political environment for Democrats, the party’s House campaign chairman, Rep Sean Patrick Maloney, lost his race against Republican state legislator Mike Lawler in New York’s Hudson Valley.

“I’m going to do this the right way, and the right thing to do is to say the other guy won, to wish him well and pledge my support, and that’s what I’m doing,” Maloney said in a press conference on Wednesday shortly before AP called the race.

At the same time, Maloney expressed optimism about the Democratic results overall: “Last night, House Democrats stood our ground,” he said.

The Senate races remained in flux. Republican J.D. Vance, a venture capitalist and author of Hillbilly Elegy, defeated Democratic Rep Tim Ryan in Ohio, denying Democrats a chance to pick up the open seat. In New Hampshire, Trump-styled Republican Don Bolduc failed to oust Democratic Senator Maggie Hassan.

In the evenly split Senate, the battleground was focused on the deeply contested states of Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and Wisconsin. In Pennsylvania, Democrat John Fetterman flipped a Republican-controlled Senate seat that’s key to the party’s hopes of maintaining control of the chamber. The 50-50 Senate is now in Democratic hands because Vice-President Kamala Harris can cast a tie-breaking vote.