Democrats start picking up House seats - CNN.com

Democrats start picking up House seats - CNN.com: "Democrats, trying to pad the 36-seat U.S. House majority they had going into Election Day, appear to have knocked off at least two Republican incumbents, early returns show.

Democrat Jim Himes has defeated longtime Rep. Christopher Shays of Connecticut, and Democrat Suzanne Kosmas has beaten Rep. Tom Fenney of Florida, CNN has projected.

Heading into Tuesday, many analysts said the question for House Democrats was not whether they would add to their 235-199 majority, but by how much.

Races for 52 Republican-held seats were at least slightly competitive for Democrats two days before the election, whereas only 12 Democrat-occupied seats appeared to be so for the GOP, according to the nonpartisan Rothenberg Political Report.

The Democrats, whose net gain of 30 seats in the 2006 elections gave them control of the House after 12 years in the minority, could pad their majority by an additional 27 to 33 seats this year, according to the RPR, citing polling and other factors.

As of 10 p.m. ET, CNN projected Democrats won 125 seats of the House's 435 seats, with Republicans winning 78."