House of Representatives stays in GOP hands

By Mike Ferullo
CNN.com Writer

VIDEO Adam Schiff makes his acceptance speech (November 8) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) U.S. House minority leader Rep. Dick Gephardt, (D) Missouri, reclaims his post (November 8) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) Speaker of the House Rep. Dennis Hastert, (R) Illinois, says the race for the balance of power is still close (November 7) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) Speaker of the House Rep. Dennis Hastert, (R) Illinois, claims a re-election victory (November 7) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media) CNN's Chris Black talks about the role of the suburbs in the battle for control of the U.S. House (October 26) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)     MESSAGE BOARD Election 2000

(CNN) -- The Republicans will retain their majority in the House of Representatives after a strong GOP showing in key contests in the East and Midwest offset Democratic gains in the West.

As results from western states trickled in early Wednesday, Democrats managed to win competitive races in Utah and California. In Utah's 2nd District, Jim Matheson defeated GOP businessman Derek Smith, CNN estimates. Matheson will replace GOP Rep. Merrill Cook, who lost to Smith in the GOP primary.

Mike Honda

And efforts to win California's 15th District appear to have paid off with a win for Democrat labor loyalist Mike Honda over moderate GOP candidate Jim Cunneen, CNN projects. Honda will replace GOP Rep. Tom Campbell, who unsuccessfully challenged Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

And, in California's closely watched 27th District, CNN estimates state Sen. Adam Schiff has defeated Rep. Jim Rogan, a former House impeachment manager. Schiff received more votes than Rogan in the state's open March primary, and the district has become increasingly Democratic as a result of recent demographic changes.

Despite the late pickups, Democrats appeared far short of gaining the seven seats needed to take a majority in the 107th Congress.

"Overall we have not seen that many seats that changed hands one way or the other, and Republicans did surprisingly well in the East, enough to offset any late Democratic advantage in the West," said CNN political analyst Stuart Rothenberg.

Two of those Republican gains came in Connecticut and Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania state Sen. Melissa Hart defeated state Rep. Terry Van Horne in the 4th District. And in Connecticut, GOP candidate Rob Simmons scored an upset in the 2nd District over 10-term Rep. Sam Gejdenson, CNN projects.

Although all 435 members of the House are up for re-election, control of the lower chamber hinged on the outcome of a relatively small number of competitive races -- particularly for 26 seats vacated by retiring Republicans, and nine others left open by Democrats.

Republicans successfully defended nearly all their open seats, while most strong Democratic challenges to GOP incumbents never fully materialized. Before Election Night, most analysts agreed that Democrats needed to pick up three or four seats heading toward California, where a handful of GOP lawmakers were deemed most vulnerable.

Despite dim prospects for victory, Democratic leaders remained hopeful.

"I can tell you this: We're going to pick up seats in the House and we will hope that in the next hours, and maybe days, that we will get to the magic number that we need," House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt, D-Missouri, told supporters after winning his St. Louis District.

House Minority Leader Richard Gephardt

Heading into Wednesday morning, Republicans were cautiously optimistic they would indeed retain control of the House of Representatives. It would mark the first time the GOP held the House for four consecutive congressional sessions since the 1920s.

"I think we're in pretty good shape," said House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Illinois. "It may be a very tight majority, but it's going to be a majority."

Underscoring that point, Republicans picked up a Democratic seat in Missouri's 6th District, where state Rep. Steve Graves defeated Democratic candidate Steve Danner. The GOP also won New York's 1st District, where Republican nominee Felix Grucci defeated Democrat Regina Seltzer, who defeated party-switcher Rep. Mike Forbes in the primary.

And in Virginia's 2nd District, GOP state Sen. Edward Schrock defeated Democratic lawyer Jody Wagner for another Republican gain. Conservative Democrat Owen Pickett is retiring after serving the district, centered around Virginia Beach, for 14 years.

Dem pickups few and far between

In addition Democratic gains in California and Utah, Democrats picked up GOP Rep. Rick Lazio's 2nd District seat in New York. Democrat Steve Israel defeated Republican Joan Johnson, who was vying to become the first Republican African-American female to serve in the House.

Democrats also gained a seat in Oklahoma's 2nd Congressional District, where CNN projects that attorney Brad Carson defeated auto dealer Andy Ewing, the GOP nominee.

Brad Carson

When all is said and done, both political parties will have lavished tens of millions of dollars on the competitive House races. Special interest groups -- ranging from unions to pharmaceutical companies -- also dropped millions in soft money donations in a bid to sway voters.

Democrats had hoped to pick up Illinois' 10th District, where Mark Kirk, a former aide to retiring Rep. John Porter, faced Democrat Lauren Beth Gash, a popular state representative, has matched her opponent in the polls.

Heading into Election Night, Republicans held a razor-thin 13-seat margin over the Democrats in the House, 223-210, and two seats were held by independents. By the end of the night, those numbers appeared to have changed only slightly.

The reason can be attributed to the power of incumbency. A number of districts have voted solidly Republican or Democratic for decades. Even in suburban areas with large numbers of classic "swing voters," sitting congressmen took advantage of greater name recognition and fund-raising.

With no overarching issue dominating the political agenda this year, House campaigns have instead focused on a number of issues: Social Security, prescription drug coverage for Medicare seniors, education, gun laws, abortion and the environment.

The "character" issue has also played out in a number of races, including a handful of districts where Democrats originally set their sights on ousting the 13 impeachment managers, or prosecutors, during the 1998 impeachment saga.

Incumbents triumph in Midwest

Republicans countered strong Democratic challenges in Indiana and Ohio. In the Buckeye State's 12th District, state Rep. Pat Tiberi defeated Democrat Maryellen O'Shaughnessy. The seat is currently held by retiring Republican Rep. John Kasich, chairman of the House Budget Committee.

Rep. John Hostettler

Indiana Republican John Hostettler had faced the toughest race of his career in Indiana's 8th District, but CNN estimates he has defeated Democrat Dr. Paul Perry. Voters in the "Bloody Eighth" have a long history of throwing incumbents out of office, but Hostettler's positions on taxes and abortion seem to have played well to the mostly rural district.

Five-term Democratic Rep. Tim Roemer is projected to stave off a challenge from GOP business executive Chris Chocolla in Indiana's 3rd District. Although the northern Indiana district has consistently voted for GOP presidential candidates, Roemer has yet to be seriously threatened on Election Day.

CNN also estimates Republicans will retain the seat in Missouri's 2nd District, where state Rep. Todd Akin defeated Democratic state Sen. Ted House. Akin, a conservative best known for his opposition to legal gambling in the state, will replace Republican Rep. Jim Talent, who's running for governor.

Democrats are expected to hold onto a seat in Minnesota's 4th District, where Democrat state Rep. Betty McCollum defeated GOP state Sen. Linda Runbeck and independent Tom Foley. In the the 6th District, three-term Democratic Rep. Bill Luther held off a strong challenge from former Marine Colonel John Kline, a Republican who narrowly lost to Luther in 1998.

Freshman Democratic Rep. Dennis Moore has beaten back a strong challenge from conservative GOP state legislator Phill Kline in Kansas' 3rd District, CNN projects. As he did in 1998, Moore appears to have taken advantage of a bitter GOP primary between moderate and conservative factions of the party.

The East

Freshman Republican Rep. Don Sherwood defeated Democrat Pat Casey in Pennsylvania's 10 District, CNN projects. Sherwood edged Casey by just 515 votes during their 1998 contest. In the central part Pennsylvania, freshmen Republican Rep. Patrick Toomey staved off Democrat Ed O'Brien in the 15th District.

Rep. Bob Sherwood

In Pennsylvania's 13th Congressional District, freshman Democratic Rep. Joe Hoeffel fended off a strong challenge from moderate GOP candidate Stewart Greenleaf.

Three-term incumbent GOP Rep. Charlie Bass will retain his 2nd District New Hampshire seat over Democratic challenger Barney Brannen. Bass won by slim margins in this western New Hampshire district in 1996 and 1998.

In Connecticut's 5th District, Democratic Rep. Jim Maloney has defeated Republican challenger Mark Nielsen. In New Jersey, Republican Mike Ferguson defeated Democrat Maryanne Connelly in the 7th District. Ferguson will replace Republican Rep. Bob Franks, who's running for the Senate.

The South

In the South, three-term Republican Rep. Saxby Chambliss held off a challenge from Democrat Jim Marshall in Georgia's 8th district. In the state's 7th District, former House impeachment manager Rep. Bob Barr defeated wealthy Democratic challenger Roger Kahn.

Freshman Democratic Rep. Ronnie Shows will retain his seat in Mississippi's 4th District with a win over GOP challenger Dunn Lampton. In neighboring Alabama, Republican incumbent Rep. Robert Aderholt staved off a challenge from Democrat Marsha Folsom in the state's 4th District.

Rep. Ronnie Shows

Republicans also held the open seat in Florida's 12th District, where 26-year-old state Rep. Adam Putnam defeated Democrat Mike Stedem. In the state's 3rd District, four-term Democratic Rep. Corrine Brown held off a challenge from Republican Jennifer Carroll.

Republican attorney Ric Keller won a hotly contested race in Florida's 8th district over Democrat Linda Chapin. Trailing his opponent after a bitter and divisive GOP primary, Keller gained momentum during the closing weeks of the campaign.

In a rematch of the 1998 showdown in North Carolina's 8th Congressional District, Republican incumbent Rep. Robin Hayes again defeated Democrat Mike Taylor. Hayes, heir to a fortune earned in the region's textile industry, edged Taylor by less than 3,500 votes in 1998.

In North Carolina's 11th District, incumbent GOP Rep. Charles Taylor beat back a strong challenge from Democrat Sam Neill. The Democrats were hoping for an upset, as Taylor had been hounded by a much-publicized row with local tax collectors and Neill had successfully pounded him on delivering for seniors.

Texas, Kentucky

In Texas, Republican Rep. Ron Paul will stave off a challenge from Democratic candidate Loy Sneary in Texas' 14th District, a rural area between Houston and Austin. In the state's 5th Distict, Republican Rep. Pete Sessions defeated Democratic challenger Regina Montaya

Rep. Ken Bentsen

Democratic Rep. Ken Bentsen held off a well-financed challenge from Republican Phil Sudan in Texas' 25th District. Bentsen, who benefits from perhaps the second most famous name in Texas politics, has served the Houston district since 1994.

Republicans also successfully defended three competitive seats in the battleground state of Kentucky. In western 1st District, three-term incumbent GOP Rep. Ed Whitfield defeated Democratic challenger Brian Roy.

Republican Rep. Anne Northup fended off Democratic challenger Eleanor Jordan, an African-American, in Kentucky's 3rd District. Northup's phenomenal fund-raising abilities and savvy political skills have helped her hold onto the Democratic-leaning district since 1996.

Freshman GOP Rep. Ernie Fletcher defeated former Democratic Rep. Scotty Baesler in Kentucky's centrally located 6th District. The outcome of this race is a reversal of 1996, when Baesler defeated Fletcher.

The West

In Colorado's 6th District, Freshman Republican Rep. Tom Tancredo defeated Democratic challenger Ken Tolz. The suburban Denver district includes the town of Littleton, scene of the 1999 shootings at Columbine High School.

In Montana's at-large House race, former Lieutenant Gov. Dennis Rehbreg will hold the seat for the Republicans. He defeated Democrat Nancy Keenan, the state superintendent of education.

In Washington State's 9th District, freshman Democratic Rep. Adam Smith staved off a closely watched challenge from Republican Chris Vance. The booming area south of Seattle includes thousands of Boeing workers, who contribute to a solid Democratic base.

Rep. Clay Shaw

More undecideds

CNN continues to watch a number of undecided races:

New Jersey's 12th District is the site of a pitched battle where Democratic incumbent Rush Holt faces Dick Zimmer, who gave up the seat in 1996 for an unsuccessful Senate bid.

Florida's 22nd District, a narrow 91-mile strip along the Atlantic Coast from Fort Lauderdale to Palm Beach, pits Democratic upstart Elaine Bloom against incumbent Republican Rep. Clay Shaw.

Both parties have fielded strong contenders in Michigan's 8th Congressional District. Democratic state Rep. Dianne Byrum faces GOP State Sen. Mike Rogers. Outside groups have spent heavily on the seat, currently held by Rep. Debbie Stabenow, a Democrat who opted to run for the U.S. Senate.

U.S. House candidate Dick Zimmer, center, smiles during an early morning speech Wednesday in New Jersey

Democrats have one of their best chances to gain a seat in Arkansas' 4th Congressional District. Incumbent Republican Rep. Jay Dickey has consistently polled below 50 percent against challenger Mike Ross. The southern Arkansas district is traditionally Democratic and includes President Clinton's hometown of Hope.

Republicans are hoping to defend California's 36th and 49th districts down the Pacific Coast. The 36th Congressional District pits freshman Rep. Steve Kuykendall against former three-term Democratic Rep. Jane Harman, who gave up the seat to run for governor in 1998. The seat tilts Republican, but Harman's name recognition and personal wealth make her a formidable contender.

In San Diego, Republican Rep. Brian Bilbray fits the 49th Congressional District well, but has faced a tough campaigner in Democratic state Rep. Susan Davis. Although Bilbray held the edge heading toward Election Day, it remains unclear how voters will react to a minor scandal regarding the financing of a recent trip the congressman and his wife took to Australia.