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.

The money, much of which pays for TV advertising, allowed Democrats to reach out to districts long held by Republicans.

Democrats spent $2.4 million during the general election to support Larry Kissell, a social-studies teacher who beat five-term GOP incumbent Robin Hayes in North Carolina. Hayes received none of the so-called independent expenditure money from Republicans.

Earlier this year, Van Hollen predicted there would be a surge in turnout by black voters, who tend to vote for Democrats. The party, he said, tried to ensure that voters who came out for Obama also cast ballots for Democratic congressional candidates.

The GOP did win some competitive races. Republican Leonard Lance beat Linda Stender in New Jersey, keeping that House seat in the party's control. But Democrats appeared to be making many more advances overall.

"It's the night we have been waiting for," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

Polls this summer showed Republicans had gained momentum by arguing for increased offshore drilling to relieve high gas prices. Some GOP members took to the House floor during the summer recess to demand Congress lift a ban on drilling.

Lawmakers let the ban expire, but by early fall, fuel prices were no longer the political issue they once had been. The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline dropped 72% from mid-July to early November, according to the travel organization AAA.

In September, the Bush administration unveiled a $700 billion plan to use taxpayer money to buy up mortgage securities to stem a credit crisis that threatened the broader economy and sent markets on wild swings.

Incumbents of both parties said they received thousands of phone calls from constituents angry that the government would bail out private institutions. Many lawmakers in tight elections voted against the measure, though it was ultimately approved.

But political analysts said voter sentiment against Republicans had less to do with the bailout than a sense that the GOP is to blame for a weakening economy.

"When things go bad, people look at the president and Pennsylvania Avenue and tend not to blame Congress," said John Pitney, a political scientist at Claremont McKenna College.

In Minnesota, Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann won in a much closer race than expected after she said on national television that Obama "may have anti-American views."

Her Democratic opponent, Elwyn Tinklenberg, was flooded with donations after the statement, his campaign reported.

Kosmas used Feeney's past association with convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff to pick off his seat in Florida.

"We understand and value the notion that the foundation and strength of our democracy depends on its operating within parameters of some core, basic values," Kosmas told her supporters in New Smyrna Beach.

In eastern Pennsylvania, Republicans hoped to pick off Democratic Rep. Paul Kanjorski, a 12-term incumbent. But Kanjorski won the race against Republican Hazleton mayor Lou Barletta, who became known for his efforts to curb illegal immigration.

Democratic Rep. John Murtha of Pennsylvania, who characterized his own constituents as "racist" and "redneck," won his race by a small margin.

Contributing: The Associated Press