A former Army major who became a liberal social media phenomenon during President Donald Trump's first term has taken the Republican House seat, charged with winning his party's congressional campaigns.
asserted
who → become → campaigns
Richard Ojeda defeated Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina this year in the state's 9th district.
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Ojeda → defeat → district
Hudson, a seven-term congressman, had led the National Republican Congressional Committee, the organization dedicated to supporting his party's House campaigns.
asserted
Hudson → lead → campaigns
However, he was unable to save his own seat after Republicans floundered in the state.
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Republicans → save → state
Party organizations had pulled support from Michael Whatley, the Republican U.S. Senate candidate, as he failed to gain traction against Democratic nominee Roy Cooper.
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he → pull → Cooper
Ojeda had run multiple races in West Virginia before moving back to North Carolina, where he had served at Fort Bragg.
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he → run → Bragg
He then successfully ran against Hudson.
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He → run → Hudson
Ojeda arrived on Capitol Hill this week as one of several new members who pulled off upset victories this year.
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who → arrive → victories
“Our victory is not just impressive because of how many seats we gained — although we did gain a lot — what was incredible last night was how far we reached into deep red territory," said Rep. Suzan DelBene, chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.
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DelBene → gain → Committee
Here is a look at some of the other new members who won unexpected races.
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who → win → races
An open race emerged in Iowa's northeast when Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson decided to run for U.S. Senate.
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Hinson → emerge → Senate
Trump visited Dubuque just two days before the election to try to boost turnout.
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Trump → visit → turnout
Mitchell nonetheless lost to Lindsay James, a Democratic state lawmaker and a minister.
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Mitchell → lose → James
“I am going to stay laser-focused on lowering costs for hard-working families here in my district because that’s what they have asked me to do,” James said in an interview.
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James → go → interview
Two other candidates on the ballot, one libertarian and one unaffiliated, received more votes than James' margin over Mitchell, boosting her victory.
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candidates → receive → victory
Colorado Springs has been a conservative stronghold for years, but the city has been slowly turning more moderate as young families move in.
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families → turn → years
Its veteran population has also been unsettled by Trump's approach to the military and the Iran war.
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population → unsettle → military
Jessica Killin, a Democrat and former Army captain, capitalized on this to run as a moderate against Rep. Jeff Crank.
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Killin → capitalize → Crank
Crank had previously run the Colorado chapter of the conservative group Americans For Prosperity.
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Crank → run → Prosperity
Killin hammered him for falling in line behind Trump once he got into the House.
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he → hammer → House
Former state lawmaker Teresa Benitez-Thompson made history as the first Democrat to win Nevada's 2nd Congressional District.
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Thompson → make → District
Her Republican opponent, David Flippo, faced accusations that he exaggerated his military record and failed to release required financial disclosures on time.
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he → face → time
Benitez-Thompson campaigned as a moderate with longtime roots in northern Nevada.
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Thompson → campaign → Nevada
She contrasted herself with Flippo, who aligned himself closely with Trump.
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who → contrast → Trump
Flippo had moved from southern Nevada to join the race after longtime Republican Rep. Mark Amodei announced his retirement.
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Amodei → move → retirement
Amodei refused to endorse Flippo, calling him a fraud.
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Amodei → refuse → him
For the first time ever, Democrats will hold all of Nevada's congressional seats.
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Democrats → hold → seats
Wisconsin 1st district
Republican Rep. Bryan Steil won all four of his previous elections in this southeast Wisconsin district by at least 9 points.
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Steil → win → points
Before him, former House Speaker Paul Ryan held the seat for two decades.
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Ryan → hold → decades
No Democrat had won there since 1993.
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Democrat → win → 1993
All of those factors made it improbable that Democratic newcomer Mitchell Berman would come out on top this year.
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Berman → make → top
Berman was running for the first time for any office.
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Berman → run → office
But Berman, an emergency room nurse, tapped into voter anger and leveraged his middle-class background to beat Steil by nearly 4 points.
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Berman → tap → points
The outcome will ripple through Wisconsin politics because Steil was widely considered as a likely candidate for U.S. Senate down the road.
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Steil → ripple → road
The race opened up when Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales announced he wouldn't run for reelection.
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he → open → reelection
He had admitted to an affair with a former staff member who later died by suicide.
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who → admit → suicide
Primary voters chose Brandon Herrera to run in his place.
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voters → choose → place
Democrats put up Katy Padilla Stout, a lawyer and former teacher, but many believed she had little chance.
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she → put → chance
The district hadn't elected a Democrat since 2012.
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district → elect → 2012
She won by 8 points.
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She → win → points
…and 19 more, not listed.
The Aporia
