US Elections: Democrats Seize Control Of Congress In Setback For Trump

Democrats rode a wave of dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump to win control of the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday, giving them the opportunity to block Trump’s agenda and open his administration to intense scrutiny.

Projection: today is the first day in history Americans have elected more than 100 women to the U.S. House of representatives.

— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) November 7, 2018

The newly empowered House Democrats will have the ability to investigate Trump’s tax returns, possible business conflicts of interest and allegations involving his 2016 campaign’s links to Russia.

They also could force Trump to scale back his legislative ambitions, possibly dooming his promises to fund a border wall with Mexico, pass a second major tax-cut package or carry out his hardline policies on trade.

It would recalled that, in midterm elections, after he won the White House, Trump and his fellow Republicans expanded their majority in the U.S. Senate following a divisive campaign marked by fierce clashes over race, immigration and other cultural issues.

Democrats are doing what they needed to do tonight: win the US House. This will reshape Trump’s presidency in a massive way. His legislative priorities will mostly be blocked, he will face genuine oversight, and more long overdue investigations will finally begin. A major shift.

— Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) November 7, 2018

But with his party losing its majority in the House, the results represented a bitter setback for Trump after a campaign that became a referendum on his leadership. With some races still undecided, Democrats appeared headed to a gain of more than 30 seats, well beyond the 23 they needed to claim their first majority in the 435-member House in eight years.

A simple House majority would be enough to impeach Trump if evidence surfaces that he obstructed justice or that his 2016 campaign colluded with Russia. But Congress could not remove him from office without a conviction by a two-thirds majority in the Republican-controlled Senate.

Congratulations to the Democrats for their huge win in the U. S. HOUSE and to the Republicans for the control of the Senate… Not a bad night and not a waste of time for those of us watching the movie…

— Dele Momodu Ovation (@DeleMomodu) November 7, 2018

House Democrats could be banking on launching an investigation using the results of U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s already 18-month-old probe of allegations of Russian interference on Trump’s behalf in the 2016 presidential election.

Moscow denies meddling and Trump denies any collusion.