WASHINGTON: Democrats widened their lead in the House of Representatives to 96 seats on Thursday as results from the US midterm elections kept coming in.
Democrats held 251 seats to Republicans’ 155, with 29 House races still undecided. In the Senate, Democrats and allied independents held 54 seats, compared with 44 Republicans.
Four more Republican-held House districts switched to the Democrats as counting continued. In Arizona’s sixth district, Democrat JoAnna Mendoza defeated Republican incumbent Juan Ciscomani.
Meanwhile, former Army captain Jessica Killin beat Republican Jeff Crank in Colorado’s fifth district. Democrat Richard Ojeda won North Carolina’s ninth district, ending 14 years of Republican control.
In Ohio, Kristina Knickerbocker defeated veteran Republican congressman Mike Turner. Earlier results brought further Democratic gains in Montana, Arizona and North Carolina.
However, Republican Brent Taylor defeated Democrat Justin Pearson in Tennessee’s newly redrawn ninth congressional district. Counting continued in Mississippi’s Senate race.
Read: Trump Midterm Defeat Spurs US Republican Calls for Change
Democrat Scott Colom led Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith by more than 1,700 votes, with 96% counted. The Associated Press had not called the contest.
Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz described the midterm results as a “Watergate-level repudiation” for his party. Cruz argued that rising food, fuel and insurance costs had frustrated voters.
He rejected suggestions that low Republican turnout alone explained the defeats. Instead, he said Republican and independent voters had turned against the party’s candidates.
Read: Trump-Backed Senate Candidates Lose Four Key US Races
President Donald Trump accepted the election results and expressed willingness to work with Democrats. Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer warned his party not to take its victories for granted.
Schumer argued that many Americans supported Democrats because they opposed Trump’s policies, rather than out of loyalty to the party. He urged Democratic lawmakers to earn voters’ trust through their work in Congress.
With additional input from The Guardian
