Nov. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Democrats captured at least 19 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday as the party expanded the congressional majority it gained two years ago.

Christopher Shays, the last House Republican in New England, lost to Democrat Jim Himes, and Democrat Michael McMahon was elected to the last House seat in New York City held by Republicans, the Associated Press projected. The party also won races in Florida, Arizona, New York and Virginia and fended off Republican challenges to John Murtha and Paul Kanjorski in Pennsylvania. Nine races remain undecided.

``The American people have called for a new direction,'' House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California told supporters at a Democratic election-night party in Washington. She pledged today to seek bipartisanship ``with civility in our debate and fiscal responsibility in our budgeting.''

A gain of 20 seats would represent the first time since 1932 that one party expanded significantly on its majority after winning a sweeping victory the election before. In 2006, Democrats defeated 22 Republicans and won eight open seats that had been held by Republicans, winning back the majority they lost in 1994. They also won a seat that had previously been independent. Democrats control the current House 236 to 199.

`Wave Election'

``After you come off a wave election, you usually lose seats,'' said Representative Christopher Van Hollen of Maryland, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, in an interview. ``We're going to break that.''

In the Senate, Democrats added at least five seats to the 51-49 majority, winning Republican-held seats in Virginia, North Carolina, New Mexico, New Hampshire and Colorado.

Dissatisfaction with President George W. Bush's handling of the economy put Republicans on the defensive even though they were already the minority party in Congress, said Julian E. Zelizer, a professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University in New Jersey.

``While the Bush presidency was inevitably going to drag down the entire Republican ticket, the economy -- both the housing crisis and the financial meltdown -- has created a lot of anger toward the party,'' he said.

Vulnerable Seats

Since the 2006 election, 29 Republicans have retired or are running for another office, leaving their seats more vulnerable to takeover. Six Democrats have retired or are seeking another office.

Democrats across the country sought to link Republican incumbents to the Bush administration.

In Connecticut, Himes, a former investment banker, accused Shays of being out of touch with the economic problems of middle- class voters. Shays, in a bid to demonstrate his independence, offered criticisms of his own -- aimed at Republican presidential candidate John McCain.

``He has lost his brand as a maverick,'' Shays told the Yale Daily News on Oct. 29. ``He did not live up to his pledge to fight a clean campaign.''

Democrats had a financial advantage nationally. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spent $37.7 million through Oct. 15 to help elect candidates, compared with $9.8 million by the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Bachmann Contest

In Minnesota, Michele Bachmann was cruising toward re- election when the Republican representative torpedoed her own campaign.

During an Oct. 17 appearance on MSNBC, Bachmann said Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama ``may have anti- American views'' and urged reporters to investigate whether other Democrats may be ``anti-America.''

Democratic challenger Elwyn Tinklenberg was flooded with more than $1.3 million of contributions, congressional Democrats promised an additional $1 million worth of advertising, and House Republicans dropped plans to pay for ads supporting Bachmann.

Nevertheless, Bachmann won re-election with 47 percent of the vote, compared with 44 percent for Tinklenberg.

In Alaska, Don Young, who is seeking his 19th House term, won his primary race by less than 350 votes. Young is being challenged by former state House minority leader Ethan Berkowitz.

Political Pressure

Young is under political pressure this year because he has been investigated for links to Veco Corp. an oil-services company whose executives made political donations to many Alaska lawmakers. U.S. Senator Ted Stevens was convicted last week of seven felony charges failing to disclose gifts from VECO.

Young and Stevens, 84, also backed the ``bridge to nowhere,'' a proposal to spend $223 million to link the Alaskan town of Ketchikan to an island with 50 full-time residents, that became a symbol of wasteful spending.

Democrats also faced re-election obstacles in some districts.

In Florida, Democratic U.S. Representative Tim Mahoney of Florida was ousted by Republican Tom Rooney. Mahoney had denied using campaign money to pay for a settlement with a female former staff member, while admitting that his actions caused ``pain'' in his marriage.

Democrat Nick Lampson of Texas was defeated by Republican Pete Olson in a district south of Houston. Lampson won the seat two years ago after the resignation of former Republican Leader Tom DeLay, who had been indicted for campaign finance violations.

Murtha Wins

In Pennsylvania, Democrat Murtha, the chairman of a defense spending subcommittee, won a 19th term after telling the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette his western Pennsylvania district is a ``racist area'' and ``redneck.'' Republican William Russell challenged Murtha.

Democrat Kanjorski survived to a 13th term against Republican challenger Lou Barletta in his northeastern Pennsylvania district.

Kanjorski, who was first elected in 1984, was re-elected with 70 percent of the vote in 2006. The chairman of a subcommittee on capital markets, Kanjorski has been criticized in his Scranton-area district for his support of a $700 billion financial-market rescue package.

In New York, Democrat Michael McMahon beat Republican Robert Straniere for the Staten Island seat held by Vito Fossella, who is leaving Congress after he was charged with driving while intoxicated last May and acknowledged having a daughter from an extramarital affair.

Picking Leaders

House Republican leader John Boehner, who's now in his ninth House term, became the top House Republican when Speaker Dennis Hastert left the leadership after Democrats took control in 2006. He now may be on the firing line when Republicans pick their leaders for the next Congress.

It wouldn't be the first time. In 1998, he was defeated for re-election as House Republican Conference chairman, the No. 4 position, after the party lost seats after its effort to toss President Bill Clinton out of office.

``What happens after Election Day depends on what happens in the election, but I'm not going to worry about it,'' Boehner said during an Aug. 7 interview in his western Ohio district.

To contact the reporters on this story: Nicholas Johnston in Washington at njohnston3@bloomberg.net; or Daniel Whitten in Washington at dwhitten2@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: November 5, 2008 13:27 EST