SOME BRIGHT NEWS OUT OF THE PENDING DARKNESS

Nancy Pelosi SHRINKS her Democratic majority in the House despite believing Republicans were outspent and outgunned - and faces nightmare of AOC-led Squad getting even larger

 

Daily Mail

November 4, 2020

 

Democrats went into Tuesday night expecting to pad their majority in the House, but instead Republicans were able to unseat several incumbents and close the gap. 

Both parties' assumption going into Election Day was that Democrats would be able to snatch at least a dozen more seats from GOP incumbents, adding to their majority in the lower chamber. The opposite outcome ensued, however, with Republicans picking up several seats and defending representatives in at-risk districts. 

Now, Democratic leadership led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will have to think hard about what went wrong and answer difficult questions on how their ideal Election Night was knocked so hard off track. 

Republicans could very likely have a net gain of 10 House seats. Pelosi led the House with 232 seats compared to Republicans' 197 going into Election Day, but it now appears that the GOP will have somewhere north of 200 seats, holding a solid minority with more power than they've had the last two years.   

While Republicans overall are declaring Tuesday a win for their Party in the House, more progressive Democrats, including all four members of the 'squad', earned a win in their House races.

Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York; Ilhan Omar of Minnesota; Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts; and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan all solidly won reelection bids in their respective districts.

They also added a few new members to their 'squad,' to the dismay of Pelosi – a more establishment Democrat whose views often don't line up with those in the more progressive arm of the Party.

Cori Bush, who won in Missouri's 1st District, was immediately embraced by the 'squad.'

The group also added its first two male members with Jamaal Bowman, who won his race in New York's 16th District, and Mondaire Jones in New York 17.

Bowman said, '2018 was just the beginning when my sisters in The Squad were able to win their positions.'

'Now we're more than doubling up, in terms of those who are coming in with an unapologetically progressive platform rooted in centering racial and economic justice,' he added.