Republican leaders showed confidence Thursday that they will maintain control of the U.S. House of Representatives as they gained more seats, while Democrats insisted they can still win the majority and sought assurances that every vote will be counted.
The GOP gained two more seats in tough battles in Pennsylvania, a state where Democrats suffered a massive defeat. Democrats scored another victory in New York, after defeating a third Republican legislator in that state.
Both parties held private video calls to assess the political landscape as Congress prepared to return next week to a different Washington, where Trump could enjoy a Republican majority.
“The latest data indicates that we will also maintain — and likely increase — our Republican majority in the lower chamber,” Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson said in a letter to colleagues as he sought support to remain as House speaker. .
But Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said it is “not yet decided” which party will control the House of Representatives, as the outcome of several key races has not yet been announced.
Seeing their options have narrowed, Democrats focused on winning a handful of seats in Arizona, California and possibly Oregon to close the gap.
“We must count every vote,” Jeffries said.
A final count in the House of Representatives will almost certainly have to wait until at least next week, when Congress reconvenes and prepares to elect its new leaders, including the nominees for House speaker and the senator who will replace outgoing Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
The election results were beyond what even Republicans had expected, including a majority in the Senate, where the results of two races have not yet been announced: one in Arizona, between Democrat Ruben Gallego and Republican Kari Lake, and another in Nevada, between Democratic Senator Jacky Rosen and Republican Sam Brown.
The Associated Press announced more results Thursday. In Pennsylvania, Republican Ryan Mackenzie defeated incumbent Democratic Rep. Susan Wild in the Allentown metropolitan area district, and Republican Robert Bresnahan defeated Democratic Rep. Matt Cartwright in the northeastern part of the state.
The Pennsylvania Senate race between Senator Bob Casey and wealthy businessman Dave McCormick was decided in McCormick’s favor, giving Republicans a 53rd seat in the upper chamber.
Democrats regained some ground in New York, where Laura Gillen defeated Republican incumbent Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, the third seat to flip for Democrats in the state.
Attention focused on the West, where Democrats were watching their path to a majority.
Democrats would need to win the closest races, including two in Arizona and several in California, to gain control. But recounts are expected to drag on, particularly as California counts mail-in ballots that arrive in the week after the election.
Rep. Richard Hudson, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, told lawmakers in a private call that he is confident the GOP will maintain its majority in the House of Representatives, according to a Republican familiar with what he discussed on the call but who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release details.
Trump is consolidating his power in Washington and will return to the White House much stronger than in his first term, when Republicans were divided over their support for him and some expressed open skepticism, if not opposition, to his rise. .
This time, Johnson and Senate Republican leaders have moved closer to Trump, trusting in his power to achieve theirs while pushing a common Republican agenda more aligned with their “Make America Great Again” priorities than the previous approach. conservative and more conventional republican.
Johnson, in his letter to his colleagues, used a football metaphor to say he is “ready to take the field with all of you” to play “the greatest offense of our lives.”
As Johnson prepares to remain in his role as speaker of the House of Representatives in the new Congress, if Republicans maintain the majority, the question arises of who will replace McConnell, who led his party when he took control of the Senate, a position that will generate intense competition.
The options that Republican senators have to choose a new leader are between the number 2 Republican senator, John Thune; Texas Senator John Cornyn, and an unlikely candidate, Senator Rick Scott of Florida, favored by Senate far-rights who want Trump to intervene in the race.
Cornyn and Thune, who campaigned for Trump, are gaining support among senators in what is expected to be a close race.
Thune has worked to repair a rocky relationship with Trump, and the two spoke only Wednesday, according to another Republican familiar with the private conversation who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss it.
The South Dakota senator had criticized Trump after the 2020 election for stoking allegations of fraud before the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the Capitol. Thune and Trump have been in contact throughout the year, the person said.
Thune has suggested that it might be better for Trump to stay out of this race.
“It is their prerogative to intervene,” Thune said on Fox News. “Frankly, I think if you let the race take its course, the right person will win.”
Republicans are contemplating swift action aligned with Trump’s initial priorities, which focus on cutting taxes, deporting immigrants who are in the country illegally, and reducing federal regulations and operations.
But after the chaos of the last two years of the Republican majority in the House of Representatives, it is unclear how much Republicans will be able to achieve in the face of resistance from Democrats, especially if they achieve another slim majority with few seats to spare for dissent.
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