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Republicans will maintain control in the U.S. House of Representatives, solidifying the party’s indisputable trifecta across both chambers of Congress, the Supreme Court, and the presidency.
According to the Associated Press, wins for incumbent Reps. Juan Ciscomani, R-Ariz., and Ken Calvert, R-Calif., officially put Republicans over the finish line, providing them the necessary 218 House seats needed for a mandate.
Moreover, House Republicans seemingly carried the raw nationwide popular vote for their races, defeating Democrats by 3.4 percentage points (50.9 to 47.5 percent), Real Clear Politics reported.
As of Thursday evening, eight House races are yet to be called for either party, with the Democrats currently holding 209 seats to the Republicans’ 218. Of these remaining seats, both party’s lead in four of the outgoing races.
If these numbers hold in at their respective paces, the GOP would hold 222 seats to their opponents’ 213, which is also the same amounts from the 2022 midterm elections.
Incumbent GOP Reps. Mariannete Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, John Duarte, R-Calif., and Michelle Steel narrowly lead their own congressional reelection races, while Republican Nick Begich, R-Alaska, leads Democrat Rep. Mary Peltola, AP reported.
With this narrow balance of power, Republicans could find it difficult to maintain their majorities when the new session of Congress starts in January, particularly due to the president-elect’s decision to pull Reps. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., Michael Walz, R-Fla., and Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y. for positions in his cabinet.
Nonetheless, with the reelection of Trump, Republicans will hold their iron trifecta, controlling the lower chamber, Senate, Supreme Court and White House, making the odds of his America First agenda becoming increasingly more likely for at least the next two years.