WASHINGTON — Democrats on Capitol Hill have only two more opportunities to pick up a symbolic victory before the 2018 midterm elections, and they face uphill battles in both races.
The party has lost each special election since President Donald Trump’s victory in November.
The two elections are scheduled for Dec. 12 and Nov. 7 , respectively — an Alabama Senate race and Utah’s 3rd Congressional District race. Trump won the state of Alabama and the Utah district in 2016.
Josh Kraushaar of National Journal notes that if Democrats want to win the House they will need to win districts similar to Georgia’s 6th Congressional District, the one they lost Tuesday night.
There are only 27 “less Republican” GOP-held seats than #GA06 (measured by Clinton %). That would mean Dems need to win 24 of them. https://t.co/hTWvKvKK8i
— Josh Kraushaar (@HotlineJosh) June 21, 2017
During President Barack Obama’s first year, Republicans also struggled to pick up seats in blue districts, and an Upstate New York Republican district went Democrat in November 2009. The GOP losing streak continued until Scott Brown won the 2010 Massachusetts Senate election, which was triggered by the death of Democrat Ted Kennedy.
On May 22, 2010 Republican Charles Djou was elected governor of Hawaii to replace outgoing Democrat Neil Abercrombie.
One month later, on June 8, Georgia Republicans kept the governor’s seat in Republican hands and elected Tom Graves.
Republicans later took back a House district in New York from Democrat Eric Massa on Nov. 2, 2010, through a special election. Additionally, Obama’s previous Senate seat was won by Republican Mark Kirk that day, and Indiana Republican Rep. Marlin Stutzman won a seat previously held by a Republican. Democrats, however, did keep seats that day once held by New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, Delaware Sen. Joe Biden and the late West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd.