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Democrats grumbled in 2012 that they had won more votes in House races than Republicans had, butstillended up trailing their rivals in seat count.

This years midterm results were a lot moreclear-cutRepublicans won in a routbut continued to highlight how Democrats face an uphill battle in securing theseats to match their popular vote, due to the structuring of district lines and Democratic voters concentration in urban areas.

Back in 2012,Democrats won a majority of the two-party vote50.6%, or nearly 1.2 million more votes than Republicansbut failed to reclaim their majority in the House, leaving the party with just 46% of the chambers seats.

This time around, Democrats won 47% of the two-party vote, according to an analysis of votes by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. That garnered them about43%of the seats in the chamber, with some races still undecided. Republicans, by contrast, won 53% of that vote, and come January will control about56%of the seats.(The two-party vote refers to the percentage of ballots cast for Democrats and Republicans that either party won, and excludes votes cast for independent or other third-party candidates.)

Democrats are winning way too many of their districts by 100,000 votes and losing too many districts by 20,000 or 30,000 votes, saidDavid Wasserman, a political analyst with the Cook Political Report.

Mr. Wasserman said a combination of factors have made it such that Democrats would need to win the House vote by a margin of about nine percentage points in order to win a majority in the chamber. This year, they lost by six points.

There are two main reasons for the discrepancy between votes and seats, Mr. Wasserman said. The first is that Democrats tend to congregate in cities. That means that congressional candidates in urban areas often win by big marginsbut win fewer races across the country. The plus side for Democrats: Their concentration in urban areas gives them an edge in presidential elections, since the electoral college is based on a winner-take-all system.

The second reason Democrats are disadvantaged in House elections is that Republicans were able to capitalize on the sweeping gains they made in the 2010stateelections to redraw the lines of congressional districts to their advantage. (That process happens once every 10 years.) Mr. Wasserman pointed to Pennsylvania as an examplethere, Republicans won 72% of the seats in 2012 but won 83,000 fewer votes than Democrats.

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Deep Loss by Democrats Obscures Partys Numbers Problem

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Mayor Richard Berry clashed with City Council Democrats in a big way on Monday, issuing four vetoes of legislation that had passed along party lines this month.

Mayor Richard Berry clashed with City Council Democrats in a big way Monday, vetoing four bills that had passed along party lines this month.

Berry, a Republican, blocked proposals that sought to revive the inspector generals office at City Hall, limit when city attorneys can seek to recover legal fees in court and require council approval before hiring someone to negotiate with unions.

A fourth proposal vetoed called on the city attorney to drop a request for legal fees in a lawsuit filed by the family of Mary Han, a prominent civil-rights attorney who died in 2010.

Altogether, it was the largest batch of bills ever vetoed by the mayor in one day.

These bills were contradictory to existing law, or they set bad precedent for the city moving forward, Berry said in an interview.

Each of bills narrowly had won approval, on 5-4 votes, with Democrats in the majority.

Berrys vetoes will stand unless a Republican councilor changes positions. It takes six of nine councilors to override a veto.

City Council President Ken Sanchez, a Democrat, said he wasnt sure whether councilors even would attempt an override.

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Mayor Berry defies Democrats with 4 vetoes

By Mark Preston, CNN

updated 2:56 PM EST, Mon November 24, 2014

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Washington (CNN) -- The Democratic National Committee announced Monday that Columbus, Ohio, Philadelphia and New York are the finalists to host the 2016 presidential nominating convention.

Phoenix, Arizona and Birmingham, Alabama did not make the latest cut.

DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz informed Democrats of the decision to winnow the list to these three cities in an email. In a press release, the committee said that several weeks are under consideration to hold the convention: July 18, July 25 and August 22.

"We're thrilled to move to the next step of the selection process to determine where Democrats will come together to nominate the 45th President of the United States," said Wasserman Schultz said in a statement.

The DNC also noted that it would name the host city in the new year.

In April, the DNC asked 15 cities to submit bids to host the convention, which is estimated to cost around $60 million. But the payout could be triple the investment or more.

The Republican National Committee, in July, chose Cleveland, Ohio, to host its 2016 convention, which is likely to take place in late June or July.

Read the original here:
Democrats eye 3 cities for convention

TIME Politics 2016 Election Democrats Narrow Convention to Columbus, New York or Philadelphia President Barack Obama onstage at the Democratic National Convention at the Time Warner Cable Arena on September 6, 2012 in Charlotte, N.C. Charles OmmanneyGetty Images Also considering moving it earlier in the summer

The Democratic National Committee announced Monday afternoon that it had narrowed the list of finalist cities to host the 2016 Democratic National Convention to Columbus, New York and Philadelphia.

The announcement comes after a round of visits by DNC technical advisors to five semifinalist cities, including Birmingham and Phoenix. Cleveland was initially a semifinalist, but was removed from contention once it was selected earlier this year to host the 2016 Republican National Convention.

Were thrilled to move to the next step of the selection process to determine where Democrats will come together to nominate the 45th President of the United States, said DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz in a statement. We are fortunate to have such a diverse and vibrant group of cities interested in hosting this special event and we thank Phoenix and Birmingham for showcasing their special communities.

The Democratic National Committee is considering three dates for the convention: the weeks of July 18, July 25, and August 22, 2016. The date and location will be finalized early next year, but indicate that Democrats are considering following Republicans in moving the convention earlier in the summer, freeing up general election dollars earlier for their eventual nominee. The Republican National Convention will start either on June 27 or July 18, 2016, according to the Republican National Committee, with a final determination expected in the new year.

Central to the DNCs thinking as it further narrows the list will be the host citys ability to come up with the tens of millions necessary to fund a convention, particularly now that Congress has withdrawn public financing of the quadrennial Republican and Democratic gatherings. The 2012 DNC convention in Charlotte ended up deeply in debt, with Duke Energy forgiving a $10 million loan to the host committee, despite President Barack Obamas pledge that his convention would not accept corporate donations.

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Democrats Narrow Convention to Columbus, New York or Philadelphia

WASHINGTON -

Democrats have narrowed the list of contenders for their 2016 national convention to three cities: Columbus in Ohio, New York and Philadelphia.

The Democratic National Committee said convention bids from Birmingham, Alabama, and Phoenix have been eliminated.

Party officials announced the three finalists on Monday.

The convention site is where the party will formally nominate its next presidential candidate.

The convention will be held on either the weeks of July 18, July 25 or August 22. The site will be announced in early 2015.

The decision is based on several factors, including the city's ability to raise millions of dollars to host the event, along with the potential venues, hotels and transportation options.

"I've said before that for the Democrats, the road to the White House leads right through the city of Philadelphia," said Mayor Michael Nutter in response to the DNC's announcement. "We're unquestionably the best site for the convention we have the best venue, a vibrant and easily accessible center city, and a team that knows how to stage major events like political conventions."

Nutter and Ed Rendell, the city's former mayor and Pennsylvania's former governor, played host to DNC members in August. Rendell, a past chairman of the DNC, said more must now be done to convince the Democrats' decision-makers that Philly is the right choice.

"It's great to make the finals, but it's still a wide-open competition, and we must use the time between now and the announcement of the winner to make it clear that Philadelphia is the very best choice for the Democrats in 2016," Rendell said. "Now is the time for the city and the entire region to work in partnership to win the bid."

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Philadelphia among finalists for Democrats' 2016 convention