WASHINGTON: Some U.S. House of Representatives Democrats on Thursday blamed Tuesday’s election losses on colleagues who embraced defunding police departments and “socialist” policies, according to sources familiar with a phone call they held.
Democrats went into this week’s congressional elections, in which all 435 House seats were up for grabs, with high hopes of significantly building on their majority control of the chamber.
Instead, in a jolt that has cast a pall over the party even as Democrat Joe Biden was close to toppling President Donald Trump, the party suffered the net loss of about a half-dozen House seats.
Democrats are expected to nonetheless hold onto their majority in the new Congress that convenes on Jan. 3.
According to a source who was on Wednesday’s phone call, Democratic Representative Abigail Spanberger criticized some of her fellow Democrats for support…