Dems flip a string of GOP seats in early House returns

The Democrats picked up at least 10 Republican-held House seats across the eastern half of the country in early returns Tuesday but fell short in a closely watched race in Kentucky as they fought to wrest control of the chamber from the GOP.

Democrats needed a net gain of 23 seats to break the Republicans' eight-year hold on the House and gain a check on President Donald Trump.

The Democratic gains included several suburban districts eyed for turnover because they were won by Hillary Clinton in 2016.

In the Miami area, former Clinton administration Cabinet member Donna Shalala won an open seat, while GOP Rep. Carlos Curbelo lost his bid for a third term in another district.

In the suburbs outside the nation's capital, Virginia Rep. Barbara Comstock among the most endangered GOP incumbents, branded Barbara "Trumpstock" by Democrats lost to Jennifer Wexton, a prosecutor and state legislator. Wexton was among the record number of women running this year.

And in Kansas, Democrat Sharice Davids beat a GOP incumbent to become the first Native American and gay woman elected to the House.

But in Kentucky, one of the top Democratic recruits, retired Marine fighter pilot Amy McGrath, lost her bid to oust to three-term Rep. Andy Barr in the Lexington-area district.

Pennsylvania looked particularly daunting for Republicans after court-imposed redistricting and a rash of retirements put several seats in play.

Democratic favourite Conor Lamb, who stunned Washington by winning a special election in the state, beat Republican Rep. Keith Rothfus in a new district.

At least three other red districts flipped to blue.

As Election Day unfolded, Democrats were increasingly confident, predicting a House majority on the strength of voter enthusiasm, robust fundraising and unusually fresh candidates.

Democratic control of the House would break the GOP's monopoly on power in Washington and would almost certainly bring an onslaught of investigations of Trump's businesses and his administration.

"I feel confident we will win," House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said as the polls opened.

Midterm elections are typically difficult for the party in power, and GOP incumbents were on defense in races across the country. More women than ever were running, along with military veterans and minorities, many of them motivated by Trump's rise.

The campaign unfolded against a backdrop of jarring political imagery, heated rhetoric and angry debates on immigration, health care and the role of Congress in overseeing the president.

To stem Republican losses, Trump sprinted through mostly white regions of the country, interjecting dark and foreboding warnings about what Democratic power would mean for the nation.

The debate was dominated not by the GOP's USD 1.5 trillion tax cuts but by Trump's dire prediction of "invasion" from the migrant caravan and what he called the "radical" agenda of speaker-in-waiting Pelosi.

GOP Whip Steve Scalise of Louisiana predicted his party would retain a slim majority, saying on election eve: "In the end, we hold the House because of the strong economy."