Oregon House Democrats were kicking themselves Wednesday morning. And not because they didn't have a good showing on Election night.

Democrats will control the Oregon Legislature by the slimmest of margins, after winning four key races to give them at least a 31-29 majority in the House.

Election results Tuesday show Democrats defeated three Republican incumbents and captured an open seat that had been in Republican hands.

Democrats were jubilant about the takeover, which will put control of both legislative chambers and the governor's mansion in Democratic hands for the first time since the 1989-1990 legislative session.

Still, Democrats sensed missed opportunities galore in the election, including the seat held by powerful House Majority Leader Wayne Scott as well as seats held by Sal Esquivel, R-Medford, John Dallum of The Dalles and Donna Nelson of McMinnville.

"I wish I had had another $300,000," said Jon Isaacs, who led the House Democrats' campaign efforts. "We would have picked up three or four more seats."

Scott, Esquivel, Nelson and Dallum weren't on the Democrats' list of targets this year, and the party gave little help, financial or otherwise, to their challengers. But all four were clinging to slim leads in their races -- suggesting that with just a little more elbow grease, Democrats could have claimed a landslide instead of a squeaker in the state House.

Democrats were assured of at least a 30-30 tie in the chamber, with the defeat of Rep. Debi Farr of Eugene and Rep. Billy Dalto of Salem, and with Democrat David Edwards capturing the Hillsboro-area seat vacated by former Republican Rep. Derrick Kitts.

Heading into Tuesday's election, Republicans controlled the Oregon House, 33-27, but said they suffered from a national backlash against the GOP.

"Sometimes it is hard to mitigate that effect that is coming from the national scene," conceded Nick Smith, a spokesman for Majority 2006, the House Republicans' re-election effort.

Democrats also solidified their claims to suburban Washington County, long considered one of the state's key swing areas. Two Democratic incumbents in the county whom Republicans had hopes of defeating, Larry Galizio of Tigard and Chuck Riley of Hillsboro, looked to be hanging onto their seats.

The story in the Oregon Senate was less dramatic, with no incumbents looking likely to be unseated. State Sen. Vicki Walker, D-Eugene, pulled out a close race over former Eugene Mayor Jim Torrey, in a race Republicans had had high hopes for.