Battle for House Control Continues to Teeter on Uncounted Votes

(Bloomberg) -- Control of the US House continued to teeter on uncounted votes in about 30 congressional races Thursday, and the final tally will decide whether President-elect Donald Trump and Republicans have full grip on the government.

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Republicans show leads, for now, in enough House races to take a narrow majority. But races have yet to be called in a half-dozen GOP-held seats in California and districts scattered elsewhere.

The stakes are high. If Republicans keep their House majority, combined with White House and Senate control already won, the GOP over the next two years will be able to smooth the way for Trump’s tax cuts and immigration and trade policies, as well as confirming his nominees.

But in private meetings Thursday with their members, Republican and Democratic leaders acknowledged the fight isn’t completely over. The GOP is holding a 210 to 194 edge on the races called so far in the 435-seat House, according to The Associated Press count. It takes 218 seats to claim a majority.

Representative Richard Hudson of North Carolina, chairman of the House Republicans’ political arm, assured colleagues Thursday he is “confident” the party will keep a slim majority, even if it shrinks from its current 220-212 advantage, which includes three vacancies.

Democrats needed to win four seats to seize the majority.

“We must count every vote and wait until the results in Oregon, Arizona and California are clear,” Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said in a statement released before a private call for House Democrats.

During the Republicans’ call, Hudson also indicated a path still existed for Republicans to expand their majority.

The most successful administrations, historically, have been those accompanied by large House and Senate majorities — and it’s clear Trump will not have a big GOP edge in the House, even if Republicans keep control.

House Republicans are only too familiar with the narrowed scope of what can pass with a slim majority. Keeping every member in line becomes Job One.

In the current Congress, blocs of far-right Republicans have used their votes to repeatedly rebel against their party leaders, peaking with their ouster of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy. They have since bedeviled various initiatives of his successor, Mike Johnson.

The distances between moderates and extremes in both parties will further complicate party unity. Unexpected deaths or resignations can also imperil it. Four lawmakers died in the current Congress.

“The president-elect’s performance on Tuesday might help with a few members, but with so few votes to lose, pushing his agenda on Capitol Hill will still be a tough slog,” said Joshua Huder at Georgetown University.

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