Republicans win the House of Representatives, as predicted by NBC News, as Trump’s party gains full control of Washington. President-elect Trump now has a clear path to enact his agenda and complete his administration with both houses of Congress in Republican hands in January.
Republicans will retain control of the House of Representatives by the slimmest of margins, NBC News predicted Wednesday, handing President-elect Donald Trump and his party all the levers of power in Washington. At the same time the recommendation of the Supreme Court is 6-3 in favor of the Conservative justices.
A Republican-controlled Congress will allow Trump to quickly fill out his Cabinet and other top administration roles and advance his agenda for at least the next two years. Last week, Republicans picked up three Democratic seats in the Senate to win control of the upper chamber.
The narrow Republican victory in the House of Representatives was propelled by Trump’s decisive victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in both the Electoral College and the popular vote.
Big defeat for Democrats – “The sun is shining today” say Republicans
It represents a major blow to Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Democrats, who will now have virtually no control over Trump, a man they warned on the campaign trail as a threat to democracy, an extremist and a fascist.
“It’s a beautiful morning in Washington. It’s a new day in America,” House Speaker Mike Johnson solemnly declared on the Capitol steps, flanked by his leadership team, as the House returned to Washington on Tuesday. “The sun is shining and that reflects how we all feel.”
How the Republicans won the majority
Democrats believed they were in a good position to win back the majority they lost just two years ago. They needed a net increase of only four seats to change control of the House of Representatives, as Republicans now hold 220 seats to Democrats’ 212 – one of the smallest majorities in modern history (218 is the limit).
But the two parties essentially fought to a tie in the House, maintaining a status quo that favored Republicans.
In New York, Democrats were able to replace a trio of vulnerable GOP incumbents: Rep. Brandon Williams in Syracuse, Rep. Anthony D’Esposito in Long Island, and Rep. Mark Molinaro, whose district includes parts of the Valley Hudson and the Catskills.
It was among 18 GOP House districts that President Joe Biden won in 2020. Democratic challenger George Whitesides also unseated vulnerable Republican Mike Garcia in Southern California.
Pennsylvania was pivotal
But Trump’s triumph — including victories in battleground states like Pennsylvania and Michigan, where there were key House races — helped boost incumbent and new Republican candidates in the places that mattered.
Two of the biggest wins for the Republican Party came in Pennsylvania. Republicans took the seats from two veteran Democrats in neighboring districts in eastern Pennsylvania. Businessman Rob Bresnahan unseated six-term incumbent Rep. Matt Cartwright in the 8th District, which Trump won in 2020.
In the nearby Allentown-based 7th District, GAP state Rep. Ryan McKenzie unseated Democratic Rep. Susan Wild, the top Democrat on the House Ethics Committee.
Fierce battles for the majority of the House of Representatives
Meanwhile, in the capital Harrisburg, Democrats believed they had a good chance of unseating former GOP Freedom Caucus chairman Scott Perry, a Trump ally who played a role in the 2020 swing effort.
But the six-term incumbent fended off a strong challenge from former local anchor Janelle Stelson, who attacked Perry on everything from the Jan. 6 Capitol attack and abortion rights to his votes on veterans issues.
Republicans also picked up a Michigan seat held by Democratic Rep. Elisa Slotkin, who successfully ran for an open Senate seat. And GOP front-runner Gabe Evans narrowly defeated first-time Rep. Yadira Caraveo by less than 1 percentage point in a heavily Hispanic district north of Denver.
The Trump administration’s work begins immediately
The narrow victory in the House of Representatives has enormous significance as Republicans turn to the task of governing.
When Trump and his allies in Congress take the reins in January, they will have a rare opportunity to advance major policy initiatives through “reconciliation,” a secret process that would allow the GOP to fast-track legislation without Democratic support.
Debate over what reforms would come next began even before the election, with some Republicans pushing to use the reconciliation to renew Trump’s expiring tax cuts and others, such as Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Trump Republican ally, to ask Republicans to take up border security legislation.
It’s not yet clear what will be included in this border bill, but Trump has repeatedly said he will “seal” the southern border on his first day as president and begin “the largest deportation program in American history.”
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