Five things to watch in the battle for the House

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The Hill:

Donald Trump has been the biggest factor in the race for the House.

 

Republicans have been dogged by questions about Trump’s behavior all year, while Democrats tried to tie their opponents in the chamber to the controversial GOP presidential nominee.

 

Democrats are expected to fall short of the necessary 30 pickups to win the House majority. But they could make significant inroads, eliminating the 13-seat gain made by Republicans in the 2014 midterm elections.

Here are the five main themes to watch as the tallies roll in tonight.

Can the House GOP keep losses to single digits?

This would be seen as a significant victory for Republicans, since House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was predicting her party would net at least 25 seats.

 

FBI Director James Comey’s announcement last month of a review of newly discovered emails possibly related to Hillary Clinton sapped momentum for Democrats, leading to tightened polls. Comey’s Sunday announcement that the latest investigation uncovered no signs of criminal wrongdoing may have come too late to undo the earlier damage.