Dems widen House majority and look for more
— -- Democrats in the House of Representatives were on the way Tuesday toward their widest majority in 15 years, fueled in part by record turnout and discontent over the national economy, analysts say.
Republican incumbents were unseated in Florida, Connecticut and North Carolina, supporting predictions that dozens of GOP seats could be claimed by a Democratic wave sweeping across the nation.
Democratic gains build on the 36-seat majority the party had in the House before the election and could have wide implications for President-elect Barack Obama's ability to advance his agenda in Washington.
"With a strong working majority in the House and the Senate, we'll be able to end the gridlock in Washington," said Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. "The American people are going to judge us on our performance."
Though Democrats have controlled Congress for the past two years, voters blamed Republicans — particularly President Bush — for the faltering economy, said Cal Jillson, a political scientist at Southern Methodist University.
That dissatisfaction played out in races across the USA. Democrat Suzanne Kosmas beat Republican Rep. Tom Feeney in Florida. Democrat Dan Maffei won a competitive race for a long-held Republican seat in Upstate New York. In Virginia, Democrat Gerry Connolly won a district held for 14 years by retiring Republican Rep. Tom Davis.
"I think the district was ready for change," Connolly said. "We can move an agenda forward without the kind of obstructionism that both the House and Senate have experienced."
One challenge Republicans faced this year was the number of seats left open by retirements — which are harder to defend than seats occupied by an incumbent. Republicans had 29 vacant House seats; Democrats had only six.
Another hurdle for the GOP was lackluster fundraising. The Democratic national party spent $22 million on House races in the final week of the election, compared with $8 million for Republicans, according to an analysis by the non-partisan Campaign Finance Institute.
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