Trump puts a happy face on House bloodbath, while Democrats threaten to probe his finances - as Florida remains in recount territory and votes are still being counted in Arizona and Montana
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President Donald Trump hailed his own 'very Big Win' on election night – blasting Republicans who veered away from him even as newly-empowered House Democrats vowed to probe his finances. Trump said he considered Election Day s 'tremendous success,' hours after it became clear that the Democratic Party would control the House of Representatives during the next two years. 'Tremendous success tonight. Thank you to all!' the president tweeted, masking the inevitable anxieties that will come along with a split Congress.
Gov. Scott Walker of Wisc. lost last night to the Democrat, Tony Evers.
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Voting patterns signaled that the differences that have defined the country during the Trump presidency seem to be growing, setting the stage for a contentious 2020 election.
The results held implications for coming battles over the federal judiciary, trade, health care, government spending and immigration.
The party won contests in Wisconsin, Kansas, Maine, Michigan, Illinois, Nevada and New Mexico. But the race was too close to call in Georgia.
GOP Senate will keep cranking out Trump judicial, cabinet nominees
White House officials and allies call retaining the upper chamber's power to confirm judges and cabinet nominees a 'huge victory.’
Democrats harnessed voter fury toward President Trump to win control of the House and capture pivotal governorships Tuesday night as liberals and moderates banded together to deliver a forceful rebuke of Mr. Trump, even as Republicans held on to their Senate majority by claiming a handful of conservative-leaning seats.
The two parties each had some big successes in the states. Republican governors were elected in Ohio and Florida, two important battlegrounds in Mr. Trump’s 2020 campaign calculations. Democrats beat Gov. Scott Walker, the Wisconsin Republican and a top target, and captured the governor’s office in Michigan — two states that Mr. Trump carried in 2016 and where the left was looking to rebound.
Propelled by an unusually high turnout that illustrated the intensity of the backlash against Mr. Trump, Democrats claimed at least 28 House seats on the strength of their support in suburban and metropolitan districts that were once bulwarks of Republican power but where voters have recoiled from the president’s demagoguery on race.
Early Wednesday morning Democrats clinched the 218 House seats needed to take control. There were at least 15 additional tossup seats that had yet to be called.
- The consequences are potentially huge: Democrats have long vied for transparency from President Donald Trump, and now they finally have the numbers to see their demands through. The party has a list of subpoenas ready to challenge the administration on issues including Trump’s tax returns, Russia’s alleged meddling in the 2016 election, the US’s response to Hurricane Maria, Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s possible perjury in his confirmation hearings, and more. [CNN / Lauren Fox, Jeremy Herb, and Manu Raju]
- Democrats will also have an opportunity to show the country their policy vision for the future. The party badly wants leaders to chart an unabashedly progressive path that includes Medicare-for-all, a $15 minimum wage, and a green jobs bill. [Vox / Andrew Prokop]
- However, now that Democrats are in the spotlight, it means they are more vulnerable to attacks from the president. For Trump, who has a proven record of narrative-building and blame-shifting, the opposition party is the perfect scapegoat for poor policy decisions and possible government shutdowns — and may even serve as the ideal foundation for his 2020 reelection campaign. [Washington Post / Philip Rucker and Josh Dawsey]