Party control of the House of Representatives remained too close to project on Wednesday, with Decision Desk HQ models showing that Republicans could have one more seat than Democrats once all of the races are called, which could take weeks.
Headed into the 2024 elections, Republicans controlled the 435-seat lower chamber by the slimmest of margins after performing weaker than predicted in the 2022 midterms and losing seats to a series of early retirements and resignations. Though each House seat was up for reelection, only about two dozen were considered tossups, where one party or the other did not have a strong advantage, according to the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.
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The 19th tracked other House races, including the one for Delaware’s at-large district, which was won by Sarah McBride. The Democrat will be the first out trans member of Congress after defeating Republican John Whalen III for the seat. In Wisconsin and Minnesota, Drs. Kristin Lyerly and Kelly Morrison aimed to be the first women OB-GYNs — Lyerly was in a Republican-leaning district and lost; Morrison won and will also be the only OB-GYN who supports abortion rights in Congress.
With Republicans projected to control the Senate, and Donald Trump projected to win the White House, there will either be a GOP trifecta in Washington or the slimmest of House margins for Democrats to act as a barrier to the Republican agenda.
