House Democrats trade blame over surprise losses

WASHINGTON • Frustration among Democrats over House election losses spilled over during a conference as several moderates blamed party progressives for promoting an ultra-liberal agenda that turned off swing voters.

Representative Abigail Spanberger, who narrowly won re-election in a Republican-leaning Virginia district, was one of several Democrats who voiced anger that the party lost races they should have won, according to people familiar with Thursday's private caucus call.

She and others contended that issues promoted by the Democratic left - such as calls to defund the police - gave Republicans an opening to paint the entire party as socialists and radicals.

At least seven incumbent Democrats, six of them first elected in the 2018 Democratic wave, lost their bids for re-election. And the party fell short of flipping seats in states such as Texas that had appeared to be prime targets in this election.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told fellow Democrats she disagreed with the assessment that the election weakened the party, according to one person who listened to the call. She also said that policies which are popular in her home town of San Francisco might not work elsewhere in the country, reminding Democrats that they needed to find a consensus for a winning message.

She emphasised that Demo-crats had retained control of the House and that Mr Joe Biden is on a path to winning the presidency, according to the person. The party also needs to be mindful of the message it sends to voters ahead of the January run-offs for the Senate in Georgia that could give Democrats control of the Senate, she told them.

Representatives Marc Veasey of Texas and Vicente Gonzalez of Texas were described as joining Ms Spanberger in airing similar grievances. They complained that progressive members embracing socialism were endangering the continued Democratic hold on the House majority, according to another person familiar with the call.

The power of the party's young and vocal progressives, led by New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, is set to grow with the addition next year of several new members who have replaced more centrist veterans.

Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, an Ocasio-Cortez ally who also was first elected in 2018, said she viewed the complaints from the centrists as pressure on her not to speak her mind, according to one of the people.

For his part, President Donald Trump on Thursday hailed Republican victories in House races against predictions. The GOP "actually won many new seats, and I think many more on the way," he said.

There are still 34 seats left to be settled, according to an Associated Press tally early yesterday. Democrats currently have 232 seats to 197 for Republicans and one Libertarian. Five seats are vacant.

Democratic tensions will be building leading up to the 2022 elections. The party in control of the White House historically has lost seats in midterms, and Democrats will have a narrower majority to defend heading into that vote.

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