JUST IN: Republicans Officially Retain Control Of The House, Clinch Trifecta
The Republican Party has officially retained control of the U.S. House of Representatives, securing a trifecta in the federal government after President-elect Trump’s historic win in the presidential race and four Republican pick-ups in the Senate.
Shortly after 7 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, Decision Desk HQ projected that Republicans will secure at least 218 seats in the House, the minimum number of seats required to hold a majority.
Decision Desk HQ projects that Republicans have won enough seats to control the US House.#DecisionMade: 7:13pm ET pic.twitter.com/5kHtX4vD27
— Decision Desk HQ (@DecisionDeskHQ) November 12, 2024
The result is a major win for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who vaulted into House Leadership earlier this year after a handful of Republican representatives voted to oust then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA). After a lengthy process that lasted multiple days and saw multiple Republican heavyweights try and fail in their quest to become speaker, Johnson emerged at the last-minute and managed to secure enough votes.
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He will now begin his first full term as House Speaker when the 119th Congress is sworn in this January.
In 2024, Republicans managed to hold onto several seats held by vulnerable incumbents, including Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) and David Valadao (R-CA), while House Freedom Caucus member Scott Perry (R-PA) managed to fend off the most significant challenge of his career after he was targeted by the Biden Department of Justice for objecting to the results of the 2020 election.
The GOP also managed to flip several seats that have long been on the party’s radar, including in Pennsylvania’s Eighth Congressional District, which encompasses President Biden’s birthplace of Scranton. U.S. Rep. Matt Cartwright (D-PA) managed to hold on in the Republican leaning district — which was carried by President Trump in all three presidential election cycles dating back to 2016 — for multiple cycles before he was defeated by local businessman Rob Bresnehan on Tuesday night.
Cartwright was the only member of the House Progressive Caucus who served in a pro-Trump district
Republicans also managed to flip Pennsylvania’s Seventh Congressional District, where State Rep. Ryan Mackenzie defeated incumbent congresswoman Susan Wild.
The party is also currently holding on in Alaska’s at-large congressional district, where Democrat Mary Pelota defeated former Governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin in a 2022 special election. The seat had been held by the late Don Young, who passed away in 2022, since 1973. Young’s death triggered a marathon of special elections in which Pelota ultimately emerged victorious.
With 71 percent of votes tallied, Republican challenger Nick Begich leads by more than 10,000 votes, though the race has yet to be formally called.
The final number of seats that will be controlled by Republicans remains uncertain, as votes are still being tallied in a number of west coast states. It is still entirely possible that the party will expand on its narrow margin and give President-elect Trump additional room to navigate.
Republicans will need to fill at least two seats filled by Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Mike Waltz (R-FL), both of whom have accepted roles in the Trump Administration. A special election to fill Stefanik’s district — which the Cook Partisan Voting Index currently grades as R+9 — will be held within 90 days. While Republicans are projected to hold the seat, it could be close as opposition parties tend to be galvanized for special elections.
Waltz’s district — which holds a Cook PVI grade of R+14 — will be less worrisome for the party.
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