House Dems see 'rays of sunlight' despite tough election results

As of this writing, Republicans appear set to retain control of the House of Representatives.

However, as Punchbowl News reports, Democrats at the moment are not making a push to oust their leadership for one simple reason: Things could have gone much, much worse.

When Trump won the presidency in 2016, for example, House Democrats were in a much deeper hole and controlled a mere 194 seats, where as at the moment they are projected to win at least 213, which will leave the House GOP with little room for error and will give the Democrats a real chance to flip back control in two years.

Added to this, Punchbowl writes that Republicans may once again be dependent on Democratic votes to get must-pass bills across the finish line given that the House GOP caucus has proven to be very difficult to control.

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"Assuming Republicans win the House, their best-case vote total is roughly in line with the current margins for the 118th Congress," writes Punchbowl News. "In that span, Democrats needed to bail out Republicans on every single must-pass bill, such as government funding and debt limit hikes. The House GOP Conference will act differently with Trump in the White House. But as long as the filibuster stays in place or legislation isn’t considered under reconciliation, then compromise will be needed at some point, which is when House Democrats come in."

Democrats are cleareyed about the challenges they face and the reasons that millions of voters rejected them this year despite having supported them in past elections.

Nonetheless, writes Punchbowl, "House Democrats see some rays of sunlight in their defeat" and they believe they have a strong shot at regrouping.

"By and large, the caucus is publicly pleased with Democratic fundraising and how aggressively the three leaders campaigned across the country, the publication writes. "Three GOP incumbents were toppled in Jeffries’ home state of New York, for instance. Democrats will hold their leadership elections on Nov. 19. No drama or challenges are expected."