"... augured well for their chances of taking back the House next year."
There's the problem. We shouldn't vote for people who look at Congress as something to take back and monopolize. That's the result of a two-party system. Each side wants to smother the other.
Abolish political parties. Make each candidate explain their values and goals, and we (hopefully) vote for the best candidate instead of the one presented to you by the party leadership.
Make our elected officials work together instead of taking sides. This story would be about various people working together to gather votes on an individual basis instead of the existing one where top Republicans are putting pressure on their members instead of using civil discussion to reach an agreement.