Seven House Republicans lost their seats, though the conference picked up new seats in Pennsylvania, Alaska, Colorado and Michigan to earn a 3-seat majority.
WASHINGTON—Republicans will have 220 seats in the House of Representatives in the 119th Congress, completing their majority caucus, after the last election to the House with outstanding results was called on Dec. 4.
The House Republican Conference on Nov. 12 declared victory in its quest to retain the majority in 2024’s general elections, and the Associated Press called the majority-making 218th House seat for the GOP—in Arizona’s 6th Congressional district, where Rep. Juan Ciscomani won re-election—on Nov. 13.
However, in a few races, the differences between candidates were just hundreds of votes and thus were too close to call until recounts and legal proceedings were completed. That process concluded on Dec. 4, nearly one month after Election Day on Nov. 5.
In the 13th district near the San Francisco Bay area, Rep. John Duarte (R-Calif.) lost reelection to Democratic nominee Adam Gray by just 187 votes out of more than 205,000 votes cast. The contest was the final federal race to be called in the 2024 general election.
Democrats also flipped a GOP-held seat in California’s 45th district, which is located in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area. The contest’s Democratic nominee, labor lawyer Derek Tran, defeated two-term Rep. Michelle Steel (R-Calif.) by a narrow margin of 613 votes, with the race being called on Nov. 27. The district was regarded as a toss-up by the Cook Political Report. The race was divided along county lines—the Los Angeles County half of the district voted heavily for Tran, while the Orange County portion voted narrowly for Steel.
Meanwhile, in Iowa’s First Congressional District, two-term Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks defeated Democratic nominee Christina Bohannan by just 798 votes, with that race also called on Nov. 27. The race was expected to be highly competitive, and the Cook Political Report had rated it as a “toss up.”
These results conclude the counting of votes in 2024’s federal elections, which resulted in Republican control of both houses of the 119th Congress from 2025 to 2027.
The House majority will be narrow, at just three seats, a decline from five seats after 2022’s midterm election.
By Arjun Singh
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