For Democrats, Time to Savor Victory at Last

Democrats, at least in this millennium, have not been accustomed to much celebration.

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Kate Phillips anchors live coverage of election night, with guests covering blogs and TV.

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Voters in Alexandria, Va., share what issues brought them to the voting booths.

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So after they won control of the House last night - precisely 12 years after the Republican revolution touched off the first in a sequence of punishing elections - there was a momentary paralysis at the victory parties. It quickly passed, however, as the Democrats reveled in the glow of winning control of the House even while nervously watching Senate returns trickle in.

From a hotel ballroom in the shadow of the Capitol in Washington to statehouses to private vote-watching gatherings across the United States, Democrats celebrated their victories.

Yet even as they savored a still-unfolding success story, they tested their ability to stick to a basic principle of their agreed upon game plan: no gloating allowed.

"The news has arrived!" declared Representative Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, who was a prime engineer of the party's comeback. "You have given us a chance to bring this country around, and we'll bring you a government that no longer lets you down."

As the speakers blared "Start Me Up" by the Rolling Stones at the Washington ballroom, Mr. Emanuel and Senator Charles E. Schumer of New York, his Senate counterpart, came out dancing and clapping. While control of the Senate was still in doubt, Mr. Emanuel's victory was clear, so he pumped his fist in the air and addressed a jubilant crowd. Later, he received a congratulatory call from Ken Mehlman, the Republican Party chairman.

As Mr. Emanuel tried to thank a list of people who had helped gain the victory, the crowd demanded to see the woman who would become the first female speaker of the House: "Nan-cy! Nan-cy!" On risers close to the stage, young celebrants jumped up and down, yelling: "Speaker! Speaker! Speaker!"

Then, in short order, Representative Nancy Pelosi of California took the stage.

"Today we have made history," Ms. Pelosi said. "Now let us make progress." The elation, which had been slowly building in recent weeks, was felt across the nation. In Indiana, long a red state, Democrats captured three House seats from Republicans. It was a sign, Democrats said, that the country was longing for a new direction.

"The lesson of this election is clear - we won by turning the red states of the heartland blue," said Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, who spent the last several days crisscrossing his state on behalf of Democratic candidates. "Indiana, which has voted for the Republicans in 16 of the last 17 presidential elections, sent three new Democrats to Congress. This is not an accident."

Throughout the day, Democrats had been superstitiously trying to tamp down expectations. Mr. Emanuel and Ms. Pelosi made limited public appearances, going only briefly before television cameras. Ms. Pelosi's staff took out lanyards imprinted "speakerpelosi.com" to give to staff members and visitors to the Democratic headquarters. They were left over from two years ago, when she ran for speaker as a formality.

But her staff ruled out the "Speaker Pelosi" placards for the ballroom celebration, opting for tiny American flags instead.

Well before the polls closed, when the first bits of good news began to arrive, Democrats were too cautious to clap.

Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic minority leader, stood in the reception area of his office shortly before dinnertime, looking almost stricken. He had seen promising exit polls before, namely in 2004, when John Kerry appeared to be the next president on the afternoon of Election Day.

"I've had my heart broken before," Mr. Reid said. "I thought I'd won over the woman, only to look into the bedroom and see her with another man."

Melissa Moss, a loyal and longtime party activist in Washington, could barely contain her delight after receiving word that Democrats had won control of the House. It was a political emotion that she worried her party might have forgotten.

"We've had our chops busted pretty good for the last several years," said Ms. Moss, a former national finance director for the party. "We've lost one election and we've had one stolen. There is sort of a feeling of a renaissance. It really does feel like a new day, and we've been in the darkness."

Senator Barack Obama, Democrat of Illinois, spent the evening in Chicago making congratulatory calls. In an interview, he declared: "Democrats have a wonderful opportunity to show that we have an agenda for change."

In the ballroom of the Hyatt Hotel in Washington, flag-waving, dancing Democrats erupted in cheers as two television screens covering the walls at the front announced a series Democratic winners for the House.

The loudest applause went to Tim Mahoney, who won the seat held by Representative Mark Foley, who resigned in September after sending sexually explicit e-mail messages to young Congressional pages - a final scandal that helped vault Democrats to their victory. The crowd danced to "Born to Run," waving flags and beer bottles, while outside, waiters cleared cartons full of empty bottles.

Ms. Pelosi and Mr. Reid came out to the sound of Sheryl Crow singing, "A Change Will Do You Good" They embraced Mr. Emanuel and Mr. Schumer as the crowd yelled "Speaker! Speaker! Speaker!"

As Ms. Pelosi took the podium, smiling broadly and waving, people in the crowd began to dance harder, linking arms and kicking in a chorus line. From the crowd, someone yelled, "You go, girl!"

Mark Leibovich contributed reporting.

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