Capitol riot clouds Democrats' look at contested Iowa race

WASHINGTON (AP) — An Iowa Democrat’s quest for Congress to overturn her state-certified defeat for a House seat is prompting awkward divisions within her party, months after its members reacted with uniform fury at Donald Trump’s unfounded drive to reverse his presidential election loss.

Democrat Rita Hart, the loser by an excruciatingly tight six votes, says she’s found 22 uncounted ballots that would make her the victor over Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks, who took office in January. Hart has brought her case to the House Administration Committee, which has been collecting briefs, and both sides have lawyered up for a dispute that could smolder into summer.

The Democratic-run House could make the final decision. But with the party still seething over Trump’s brazen attempt to have Congress overturn state-certified election results he didn’t like, at least six Democrats have publicly expressed qualms about doing the same to Miller-Meeks.

Those dissidents are quietly supported by others, say several Democrats speaking on condition of anonymity to describe private conversations, suggesting that Hart's effort could fail.

“Legislators should be heeding states’ certifications of their elections,” Rep. Susan Wild, D-Pa., said in a statement. Without evidence of “rampant error,” she said, “I do not believe it is the role of House members to dictate the outcome of elections.”

There’s still time for uneasy Democrats to change their minds, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is a renowned vote counter with little tolerance for embarrassing defeats. Republicans oppose the effort, savaging it as an attempt to ignore voters — a point few GOP lawmakers raised during Trump’s unjustified fight to invalidate certified votes and hang onto his presidency.

This leaves Democrats torn between...