Democrats used voter anger toward President Donald Trump to win control of the House and important governorships Tuesday night as liberals and moderates delivered a forceful rebuke of Mr Trump.
Propelled by an unusually high turnout that showed the intensity of the backlash against Trump, Democrats claimed at least 25 House seats on the strength of their support in suburban and metropolitan districts.
From the suburbs of Richmond to parts of Chicago and even Oklahoma City, a number of diverse candidates -- many of them women, first-time contenders or both -- stormed to victory and ended the Republicans’ eight-year grip on the House majority.
But in an indication that the political and cultural divisions that lifted Trump two years ago may only be deepening, the Democratic gains did not extend to the Senate, where many of the most competitive races were in heavily rural states.
At an election-night celebration in Washington, Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic minority leader in the House who may soon return to the office of House speaker, signalled how central the theme of checking Mr Trump and cleaning up government was to the party’s success.
“When Democrats win -- and we will win tonight -- we will have a Congress that is open, transparent and accountable to the American people,” she proclaimed. “Are you ready for a great Democratic victory?”
