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Control of Congress in the balance, Democrats show surprising strength
Christian Science Monitor
Sara Burnett, Jill Colvin, and Will Weissert Associated Press
Control of the Senate remains too close to call, as a Republican red wave looked more like a ripple. Democrats held their own despite President Joe Biden’s low approval ratings and high inflation.
Control of Congress hung in the balance Wednesday as Democrats showed surprising strength, defeating Republicans in a series of competitive races and defying expectations that high inflation and President Joe Biden’s low approval ratings would drag the party down.
In the most heartening news for Democrats, John Fetterman flipped Pennsylvania’s Republican-controlled Senate seat that’s key to the party’s hopes of maintaining control of the chamber. It was too early to call critical Senate seats in Wisconsin, Nevada, Georgia, and Arizona that could determine the majority. In the House, Democrats kept seats in districts from Virginia to Kansas to Rhode Island, while many districts in states like New York and California had not been called.
Democrats also were successful in governors’ races, winning in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania – battlegrounds critical to Mr. Biden’s 2020 win over Donald Trump. But Republicans held on to governors’ mansions in Florida, Texas, and Georgia, another battleground state Mr. Biden narrowly won two years ago.
With votes still being counted across the country, Republicans maintained an opportunity to win control of Congress. But the results were uplifting for Democrats who had braced for sweeping losses – and raised questions about the size of Republicans’ governing majority if they win the House.
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the Republican poised to be House speaker if the GOP takes control of the chamber, was optimistic, telling supporters, “When you wake up tomorrow, we will be in the majority.” Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi countered that her party would hold the chamber: “While many races remain too close to call, it is clear that House Democratic Members and candidates are strongly outperforming expectations across the country.”
