Democrats Pick Up Two House Seats in Previously Republican Districts

Democrats have picked up key wins in two traditionally Republican areas, gaining two seats in the House in the process.

The first came in New Hampshire, as Democrat Charlie St. Clair beat Republican Steven Whalley in Belknap County in a special election to replace former Representative Robert Fisher. Fisher resigned from the position because people found out he was active on the Red Pill website, and that he regularly posted misogynist comments there. WMUR reports that St. Clair is known in the community as the organizer of Bike Week, because sure, why not.

The second Dem victory was in Oklahoma, as Jacob Rosecrants won in House District 46, a district with a 3,000 Republican voter advantage. The AP reports that Rosecrants, a schoolteacher, beat Republican businessman Darin Chambers with 60 percent of the vote.

Both of these seats had been previously occupied by representatives from the GOP—the vote in New Hampshire represented a 28-point swing, Oklahoma 31 points. This comes, as Nate Silver points out, during a flurry of bad press for Democrats in elections like these, perhaps proving that there is still some life in the party yet.

Dems flipped two very pro-Trump districts in special elections last night, There was a 28-point swing to Dems in NH. A 31-point swing in OK. pic.twitter.com/7nJuzpSjdf

— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) September 13, 2017