Republicans Expected To Retain Control Of The U.S. House
November 6, 2012 by UPI - United Press International, Inc.
WASHINGTON, (UPI) — Democrats headed into Tuesday’s election with little hope of wresting control of the U.S. House of Representatives from Republicans, observers said.
Democrats would need a gain of 25 seats to win the House but one widely followed election handicapper doubts they can do it, The Hill reported.
“Democrats never really were poised to pick up a significant number of seats, (and) their momentum was always more of a mirage,” said David Wasserman, House editor of the Cook Political Report.
Wasserman predicts an outcome spread between Republicans gaining five House seats and Democrats gaining 10.
“The combination of a tightened national environment, retirements and redistricting make major net gains less likely,” one Democrat strategist said.
Party control may not change this year but the 2012 Congressional election features a surge of minority candidates, Politico reported.
There are 49 Latino candidates running for the House of Representatives and 21 Asian-Americans seeking seats.
In addition, Republicans may elect the party’s first African-American woman to the House. Mayor Mia Love of Saratoga Springs, Utah, is attempting to unseat six-term Democrat Rep. Jim Matheson.
The election of minority candidates could usher in one of the most diverse classes of U.S. lawmakers ever.
“It’s a great step forward for all of us when people making decisions for Americans look like Americans,” Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) the chairwoman of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, told The Hill.
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