Republicans will retain control of the U.S. House of Representatives by a narrow margin, promising more lengthy fights to pass legislation.
The GOP holds 218 seats to the Democrats’ 208, NBC reported Wednesday. Six races have yet to be called. Republicans have also taken control of the Senate.
Republicans gained control of the House two years ago during the 2022 midterm elections. While there was no “red wave” as had been predicted, they were able to flip 19 districts from blue to red.
The House currently has 220 Republicans, 212 Democrats, and three vacancies, two of which were held by Democrats who passed away, and one by a Republican who sought greener pastures working at a weapons and AI contractor (after sowing plenty of anti-China sentiment), resulting in a tight race for his seat as both parties scrambled to claim an incredibly slim majority margin.
Only about 49 of the House seats were truly in play to be flipped. Democrats were able to flip two seats in New York, which are currently held by Republican Representatives Brandon Williams and Anthony D’Esposito.
A whopping 45 House members decided not to seek reelection, not including those who left office partway through the current term.