PHOENIX – Republicans will have their largest U.S. House majority in 83 years when the new Congress convenes next month, after a recount in Arizona gave the final outstanding race to a Republican challenger.
The results come in a year that saw the Republicans make big gains across the country, sweeping to power in both houses of Congress for the first time since the 2004 elections. Republicans will hold their largest House majority since the administration of President Herbert Hoover, controlling 247 seats to 188 for Democrats.
In the Arizona context, Retired Air Force Col. Martha McSally won a House seat over Democratic incumbent Ron Barber by 167 votes out of nearly 220,000 cast, according to results released Wednesday.
Barber was district director for Rep. Gabrielle Giffords when he and the congresswoman were shot and wounded during a political event in Tucson in January 2011. Barber then won a special election to fill out the remainder of Giffords’ term after she stepped down in early 2012. He went on to defeat McSally in that year’s general election to win a full term in Congress, in a race separated by fewer than 2,500 votes.
Barber said he would not contest the results and had called McSally to congratulate her on her victory.
“I want her to be successful because the people of southern Arizona deserve that,” Barber said.
In a statement, McSally said it was time to unite after a long campaign battle.
“There’s no getting around that this was an incredibly close and hard-fought race. After what’s been a long campaign season, it’s time to come together and heal our community,” McSally said.
Giffords and her husband, retired Navy captain and NASA astronaut Mark Kelly, congratulated McSally and also reminded her that they are supporters of more gun control, an issue that came up in the campaign when their political action committee ran ads attacking her for not backing a law banning misdemeanour-convicted stalkers from buying guns. The ad was pulled after McSally said she had been a victim of stalking and supported keeping guns out of stalkers’ hands.
“While it’s no secret that we supported our friend Congressman Ron Barber in this hard-fought race, we are pleased that this campaign included an important and substantive debate on how to reduce gun violence in our communities,” their statement said.
McSally, 48, was the first woman to fly in combat for the Air Force.
Source:: Metro News
