GOP picks up more key House seats while Democrats insist they still have a path to a majority

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican leaders projected assurance Thursday that they volition support control of the U.S. House arsenic much races were decided successful their favor, portion Democrats insisted they inactive spot a way toward the bulk and sought assurances every ballot volition beryllium counted.

The GOP picked up 2 much hard-fought seats successful Pennsylvania, which became a stark battlefield of Democratic losses up and down the ticket. Democrats notched another triumph successful New York, defeating a 3rd Republican incumbent successful that state.

Both parties successful the House huddled privately connected league calls to measure the governmental scenery arsenic Congress prepared to instrumentality adjacent week to a changed Washington, wherever a expanse of MAGA-infused GOP powerfulness is wrong scope for President-elect Donald Trump.

“The latest information indicates that we volition besides clasp — and apt turn — our Republican bulk successful the House,” Louisiana Rep. Mike Johnson said successful a missive to colleagues, seeking enactment to stay arsenic House speaker.

But Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said “it has yet to beryllium decided” which enactment volition power the House arsenic respective cardinal races remained uncalled.

Seeing their options narrow, Democrats focused connected flipping a fistful of seats successful Arizona, California and perchance Oregon to adjacent the gap.

“We indispensable number each vote,” Jeffries said.

A yet tally successful the House volition astir surely person to hold until adjacent week, astatine the soonest, erstwhile Congress is backmost successful league and prepared to elite its caller leaders, including nominees for House talker and the legislator who volition regenerate outgoing GOP Leader Mitch McConnell.

The predetermination results were beyond what Republicans had adjacent hoped for, including a bulk successful the Senate.

The Associated Press called much races Thursday. In Pennsylvania, Republican Ryan Mackenzie defeated incumbent Democratic Rep. Susan Wild successful the Allentown-area district, and Republican Robert Bresnahan dislodged Democratic Rep. Matt Cartwright successful the Northeast portion of the state.

Pennsylvania’s Senate contention betwixt Sen. Bob Casey and affluent businessman Dave McCormick was decided successful McCormick’s favor, giving Republicans a 53rd spot successful the chamber.

Democrats made up immoderate crushed successful New York, wherever Laura Gillen bushed incumbent GOP Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, the 3rd flip for Democrats successful Jeffries’ location state.

Attention progressively focused connected the West, wherever Democrats were eyeing what’s near of their way to the majority.

Democrats would request to expanse the astir contested races, including 2 successful Arizona and respective successful California, to triumph power. But tallies are expected to resistance connected arsenic California, successful particular, counts message successful ballots that are arriving successful the week aft the election.

Republican Rep. Richard Hudson, president of the National Republican Congressional Committee, told lawmakers connected a backstage telephone that he’s assured the GOP volition clasp the House majority, according to a Republican who is acquainted with the telephone but spoke connected information of anonymity due to the fact that they were not authorized to disclose details.

Trump is consolidating powerfulness successful Washington, returning to the White House a overmuch much ascendant unit than successful his archetypal term, erstwhile Republicans divided implicit their enactment for him and immoderate were openly skeptical if not opposed to his rise.

This time, Johnson and Senate GOP leaders person drawn person to Trump, relying connected his powerfulness for their ain arsenic they thrust a communal Republican docket much aligned with his MAGA priorities than what had been a much mainstream blimpish GOP approach.

Johnson, successful his missive to colleagues, utilized a shot metaphor to accidental he’s “ready to instrumentality the tract with each of you” to play “the biggest discourtesy of our lives.”

While Johnson is successful enactment to stay House talker successful the caller Congress, if Republicans support control, the question of who volition regenerate McConnell, who led his enactment successful flipping Senate control, is its ain aggravated contest.

The choices facing Republican senators for a caller person are betwixt the “Johns” — No. 2 Republican Sen. John Thune and Texas Sen. John Cornyn — and a longshot, Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, who is favored by hard-right Senate conservatives who privation Trump to measurement successful connected the race.

Thune, a favourite of different senators for the enactment job, has worked to mend a rocky narration with Trump, and the 2 spoke arsenic precocious arsenic Wednesday, according to different Republican acquainted with the backstage speech who spoke connected information of anonymity to sermon it.

The South Dakota legislator had been captious of Trump successful the aftermath of the 2020 predetermination for stoking claims of fraudulent voting up of the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. Thune and Trump person been successful interaction passim the year, the idiosyncratic said.

Thune has suggested it mightiness beryllium champion if Trump stayed retired of the enactment race.

“It’s his prerogative to measurement successful connected that,” Thune said connected Fox News. “Frankly, I deliberation if helium lets it play out, we’ll get the close person. I’ve had conversations with him and person told him that we privation to get his squad successful spot truthful that helium tin deed the crushed moving and get to enactment connected an docket to marque definite that helium and our squad succeeds.”

The Republicans are eyeing speedy enactment aligned with Trump’s day-one priorities, which revolve astir cutting taxes, deporting immigrants who are successful the state without definite ineligible status, and reducing national regulations and operations.

But aft the chaos of the past 2 years of GOP power of the House, it’s unclear however overmuch Republicans volition beryllium capable to accomplish, particularly if they person different razor-thin bulk with fewer seats to spare for dissent, successful the look of absorption from Democrats.