GOP Retains Control of House
Democrats Pick Up Handful of Seats

By JOHN DIAMOND
The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (Nov. 4) - Republicans held on to the House but lost strength as Democrats picked up a handful of seats. Some in the GOP immediately questioned the party's election strategy, putting House Speaker Newt Gingrich on the defensive.

Gingrich called the results mixed, praising Republicans for retaining control of the House for a third consecutive Congress but crediting Democrats with defying historical precedent and gaining seats while holding the White House.

The speaker, making the rounds of morning television shows for a morning-after analysis, insisted the results would not affect the impeachment investigation of President Clinton. Despite a last-minute Republican ad campaign focusing on the president's conduct, Gingrich said the media were ''obsessed'' with impeachment and promised that the inquiry would be handled as ''a constitutional issue.''

House Democratic leader Dick Gephardt said the election was ''a loud message that people want us to return to their issues, their problems. Health care, education, Social Security.'' He said Republicans were more interested in investigating the president than in legislation, and contended Americans gave the GOP ''a poor set of marks'' for that record.

The Democratic success sparked speculation about whether Gingrich, who had to fight to keep his speakership last year, would face another challenge when the new Congress convenes in January.

Democrats defeated GOP incumbents in Kansas, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New Mexico and Washington and claimed six open seats. Those gains, including the election of the first openly lesbian House member, were only partially offset by Republican pick-ups.

Republicans won 223 seats, down five from their 228 in the current Congress. Democrats, who now hold 206 seats, won 210, were ahead in one more and can usually count on the support of Independent Rep. Bernard Sanders of Vermont, who was re-elected.

Whether the election results dampen Republican enthusiasm for an impeachment inquiry into President Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky remains to be seen. Rep. Bob Barr, R-Ga., a leading Clinton critic, said his constituents ''want me to continue to do what I've been doing all along, and that is standing up for what needs to be done.''

Exit polls indicated that only 5 percent of voters called the Lewinsky matter the most important issue, and some results indicated a backlash against the Republican focus on the issue.

Freshman Republican Rep. Mike Pappas of New Jersey lost his seat in an upset to Democratic challenger Rush Holt. Four months ago, Pappas came to the House floor to defend Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr to the tune of ''Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.'' Holt aired ads deriding Pappas' performance and calling him ''out of tune (and) out of touch.''

In Washington state, Democrat Jay Inslee unseated Republican Rep. Rick White after running ads that attacked the Republicans for focusing exclusively on the Lewinsky matter.

Republicans, in a final-days strategy crafted by Gingrich, ran ads questioning Clinton's behavior and honesty. Democrats rebutted with their own $1 million ad campaign denouncing Gingrich and suggesting Republicans lacked a serious agenda.

Faced with mediocre results, Gingrich and House Majority Leader Dick Armey, R-Texas, blamed the media for fixating on the Lewinsky matter and preventing Republicans from getting out their substantive message.

''This will be the first time in 70 years that Republicans kept control of the House for a third term,'' Gingrich told supporters at a victory rally in Georgia. ''You would think when you do something for the first time in 70 years it would be a big deal, but not for the Washington pundits.''

Rep. Mary Bono of California, the only Republican woman on the Judiciary Committee, said the election showed that ''people are definitely tired of the impeachment'' inquiry. ''They are tired of it, but nonetheless it is still our duty to look at what we have before us.''

The next two years in the House will likely revolve around coalition politics as small but cohesive groups such as the Congressional Black Caucus, conservative Southern Democrats or moderate Republicans demand more for their increasingly valuable votes. Gephardt, D-Mo., suggested the narrowed GOP majority would lead to less rancorous politics.

''I will reach out every day and every way that I can to the Republicans and try to fashion bipartisan answers to our problems,'' Gephardt said.

Since the end of World War II, the party controlling the White House has lost an average of 27 House seats in midterm elections. The Republicans also had a much larger campaign warchest than Democrats.

Republicans did little to hide their disappointment.

Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Ohio, who won a third term, blasted the budget deal that Gingrich and Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., struck with the White House, ''where we basically bought our way out of Washington because we were afraid of the president's veto pen.''

Incumbents were overwhelmingly successful this year. Of the 401 incumbents running, all but six were returned for another term. In the previous four elections, an average of 24 incumbents have lost their seats. And most of the defeated incumbents were junior members.

New Mexico Republican Rep. Bill Redmond, elected just last year, was defeated by Democratic state Attorney General Tom Udall, son of former Interior Secretary Stewart Udall.

Republicans also lost freshman Rep. Vince Snowbarger of Kansas, who lagged in raising money, and two-term incumbent Rep. Jon Fox, who represents a politically split suburban Philadelphia district.

Democratic state Rep. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin won a Republican-held open seat and will be the first openly lesbian member of Congress.

Wisconsin Rep. Jay Johnson was the only Democratic incumbent defeated. The former anchorman told supporters, ''I was proud to be your cheesehead congressman for two years.''

AP-NY-11-04-98 0824EST

Copyright 1998 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

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