Comment Republicans early Tuesday were on the verge of regaining a majority in the House after competitive races settled in three states, pushing them to 215 seats, three short of the number needed to gain control. The Washington Post reported predicted wins Monday or early Tuesday for Republican Rep. David Schweikert in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District. Republican Juan Ciscomani in Arizona’s 6th Congressional District. Republican Brandon Williams in New York’s 22nd Congressional District. and Republican Lori Chavez-DeRemer in Oregon’s 5th Congressional District. The Post has not reported a projected House majority for either party. The partial projected wins brought the GOP closer to the 218 seats needed for a majority. Even as Republicans edged closer to victory, GOP leaders saw a narrow lead — one that’s shaping up to be far more slim than many in the party had hoped. Democrats have won a fair number of competitive races, causing frustration and friction in the GOP. Democrats have secured 205 seats so far, after The Post reported Monday that Andrea Salinas (D) is projected to win Oregon’s new 6th Congressional District. Counting of votes continued a week after Election Day in a historic midterm year. Republicans lead in six congressional districts where the Washington Post has not reported a projected winner, including four where they lead by at least five percentage points. History shows that the president’s party tends to suffer significant losses in midterm elections. This year, however, Democrats held their own in many key races. Some Republicans saw this election season as overwhelming, given their expectations earlier this year of a multi-seat flip. Republican leaders expect a final tally of 220 to 223 seats, a House majority and up from the 212 they held in January 2021, but significantly lower than estimates of winning more than 20, according to several House GOP campaign strategists . Over the weekend, The Post reported that Democrats are expected to retain control of the Senate, dashing Republican hopes of a full takeover of the Capitol. While many vulnerable Democratic incumbents were able to hang on and some of the party’s candidates flipped districts this cycle, the latest House race results made it clear that the Democrats’ path to holding onto the majority had shrunk significantly. On Tuesday afternoon, Republicans are set to meet to discuss and elect their leaders for the 118th Congress, which will be sworn in early next year. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (Calif.), who has called for the speech for years, will be challenged by former House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Biggs (Ariz.) as the staunchly conservative group tries to prove that McCarthy cannot muster the votes of 218 floors. necessary to become a speaker on January 3rd. McCarthy is expected to get a majority of the secret ballot on Tuesday, but the challenge from Biggs could force McCarthy to make concessions to ensure he wins the top spot next year in a House floor vote. The Republicans who won Monday and Tuesday, except for Schweikert, belong to a more pragmatic group, a welcome sign for McCarthy, who worked throughout the primaries to build a governing coalition. Ciscomani was a star McCarthy recruit in an area where the House GOP campaign arm invested heavily. But the wins don’t make up for all the unexpected GOP losses across the country that, had it turned out differently, would have enabled Republicans to build a comfortable majority. A larger caucus could have given House Republicans more room to conduct potentially painful negotiations between far-right and moderate sides of the conference. Republicans also had their sights set on other House leadership races. Minority Whip Steve Scalise (La.) faces no challenge as he seeks to become GOP leader, the highest post for the party without a speaker. Rep. Elise Stefanik (N.Y.) is up for re-election as chair of the GOP convention, but faces competition from Rep. Byron Donalds (Fla.), a member of the Freedom Caucus. A notable race will be for third place in a majority leadership group as Reps. Jim Banks (Ind.), Tom Emmer (Minn.) and Drew Ferguson (Ga.) seek to become GOP whip. Scott Clement contributed to this report.
