Democrats look to increase gains in House

WASHINGTON — Democrats marched toward major increases in the House of Representatives, winning thirteen Republican seats as results poured in around the country.

With more than 340 of 435 House races decided, Democrats are expected to gain upwards of 20 House seats, building on the 30 won in 2006. It's the first back-to-back surge for the party since before World War 11.

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

Preliminary results have Democrats leading against Republicans in more than a dozen other races, the Associated Press reported. CNN confirmed victories for 223 Democrats and 139 Republicans as of midnight Tuesday night.

In Florida, Republican Reps. Tom Feeney and Ric Keller fell to their Democratic opponents, Suzanne Kosmas and Alan Grayson.

Further north, high school teacher Larry Kissell unseated Republican Rep. Robin Hayes in North Carolina. And in Connecticut, Jim Himes defeated Rep. Chris Shays, a political moderate and New England's lone Republican.

To the west, in New York, city councilman Mike McMahon won a vacant Republican seat to turn that state's delegation entirely Democrat.

As of midnight Tuesday there were two losses for the Democrats. Florida Republican Tom Rooney upstaged Rep. Tim Mahoney in the wake of an embarrassing sex scandal and Bill Cassidy beat out Rep. Don Cazayoux in Louisiana.

"Finally, we have the Congressional reinforcements needed to replace the failed policies of the last eight years with an opportunity to secure a stronger economy, affordable health care, and peace," Rep. Loyd Doggett, D-Texas, said in a statement.

Two years ago, the party capitalized on widespread resentment over the war in Iraq, where progress was stagnant after three years of fighting. This year, economic woes have given Democrats a leg up as Republicans were painted as proponents of dangerous, unregulated capitalism.

"The Republicans were doing fairly well under the circumstances until the stock market crashed," said John Pitney, professor of American politics at Claremont McKenna College in California. "And then the circumstances became utterly toxic."

All year, the political winds have been shifting in Democrats' favor. A significant number of Republicans chose this year to resign, opening up more House seats. And the Democrats' national congressional committee outspent the Republicans' by almost 22 percent, according to Federal Election Commission statistics.

Republicans briefly had Democrats on the run by championing off-shore drilling, prompting Pelosi to reverse her longstanding opposition to expanded oil exploration. But job loss, stock market trouble and an unprecedented $700 billion financial industry bailout shifted the narrative back in Democrats' favor. Even the decline of violence in Iraq, credited to an increase in America's troop presence, has not helped Republicans.

Strong dissatisfaction with President Bush has also trickled down to the lower end of the Republican ticket.

Pitney said Republicans are having a hard time defending their "brand" when the party's leader faces historically low popularity.

"When times are tough, they look to the White House, not the Capitol," he said. "When you have a president of your own party, it's very, very difficult to escape that shadow."

It's unclear exactly what Democrats, led by Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, will prioritize when the new Congress convenes in January. Pelosi has discussed another economic stimulus package, including extended unemployment benefits and new public works projects. Obama has had his eye on new health care programs, a mixture of tax cuts and tax increases and a shift in military forces from a more stable Iraq to a deteriorating Afghanistan.

Whatever rises to the top of the agenda, it's a good bet that Democrats will have enough votes to push their initiatives through.

Although the party will have a broad mandate for a more liberal agenda, that doesn't mean its identity will shift further left. Paul Stekler, professor at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs in Texas, said the Democratic Party is unlikely to become more liberal because it is winning seats in traditionally Republican territory.

"Those districts tend to be a little more conservative," he said.

Much of its gains in 2006 came from fiscally conservative "Blue Dog Democrats."

Democrats may be excited about the prospect of one-party rule, but with political power comes risk. The party will no longer be able to blame the country's problems on President Bush, one of its favorite punching bags.

"Total control means total responsibility," Pitney said. "If something goes wrong, they don't have anyone else to blame."

Democrats have also run into problems after big victories before. President Bill Clinton had only two years of a Democratic Congress before Republicans swept into power by gaining 54 House seats in 1994.

But Sherri Greenberg, also a professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, said she finds that unlikely.

"I think there's a different mood in the country now," she said. "People are tired of bickering. I think people are looking for some cohesive policy making."

Democratic one-party rule has produced some of the most significant government programs in American history.

President Lyndon Johnson worked with a Democratic Congress to enact major welfare and civil rights legislation. And President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal led to federal programs that still exist today, such as Social Security and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.