Democrats beat back GOP challengers in competitive districts and will remain in control of the House, election night results indicate, but Republicans outperformed polls and won back several seats the party lost in 2018.
Democrats were poised to keep their majority in the 435-member chamber, with the help of numerous GOP retirements and some redistricting that left seats vulnerable to Democratic takeover in Texas, North Carolina, and Georgia.
Republicans picked up several swing-state seats, including two in South Florida that they lost to Democrats in 2018. Among the surprise GOP wins was Republican Maria Elvira Salazar’s victory over Democrat and former Clinton Cabinet member Donna Shalala in Florida’s 27th District.
But Republicans were not on track to win the 21 seats they would need to retake the majority from Democrats.
Despite facing a field of 30 Democrats running in districts President Trump won in 2016, House Republicans this election cycle were scrambling to defend their vulnerable incumbents in long-held GOP districts in Texas, Ohio, Arizona, and other states.
Polls never gave House Republicans much of a chance to retake the majority they lost in 2018 despite a campaign rally prediction by Trump earlier this month that the GOP would be back in charge.
National ballot polling showed Democrats leading the GOP by 8 to 11 points.
The Democratic House victory is also likely to assure another term leading the caucus for Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California.
Pelosi, 80, said she plans to run again for speaker and, so far, faces no known opposition. Democrats have generally been happy with her performance relentlessly attacking Trump and advancing party priorities, including a massive coronavirus spending bill that the GOP-led Senate has blocked.
If she is chosen speaker by Democrats, it will be her fourth term with the gavel, and she’ll remain the oldest person to serve in the position. Pelosi served as speaker from 2007-11.
House Democrats likely held onto seats Tuesday with the help of Joe Biden on the top of the ticket. Polls indicated that 2020 voters were far more likely to vote by party down the ballot rather than splitting their vote for president and the races lower on the ticket.
Democrats were also aided by redistricting.
In North Carolina, for example, a new congressional map created in 2019 reduced the GOP’s advantage, making it easier for Democrats Deborah Ross and Kathy Manning to win seats in the 2nd and 6th congressional districts.
Incumbent North Carolina Republican Reps. George Holding of the 2nd District and Mark Walker of the 6th District decided not to run after the redistricting cut their reelection prospects.
Retirements in key swing districts were expected to hurt the GOP, but Republicans hung on to some of the most endangered seats.
Republican Will Hurd, who represented the 23rd Congressional District in Texas, decided not to seek another term, leaving open a seat he won by less than half a percentage point over Democrat Gina Ortiz Jones in 2018.
The seat was expected to be an easy pickup Tuesday for repeat candidate Jones but as of early Wednesday morning, Jones was trailing Republican Tony Gonzales.
In Minnesota, former Republican Lt. Gov. Michele Fischback unseated longtime incumbent Rep. Collin Peterson in the state’s 7th District.
Peterson had struggled to maintain support in his pro-Trump district by frequently bucking Pelosi. Peterson was one of the few Democrats who voted against impeaching the president.
Peterson has served in the House since 1991 and is chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, a leadership role that has been critical to the district’s western Minnesota’s farming community.
But the district has become increasingly red. Voters there picked Trump over Hillary Clinton by 31 points in 2016.
Fischback defeated Peterson Tuesday after running on a platform that mirrored Trump’s. She advocated for strong border security, pro-farmer trade deals, the rights of gun owners, and opposition to Obamacare.
