By Republicans will maintain control of the House of Representatives by a razor-thin margin, NBC News projected Wednesday, giving President-elect Donald Trump and his party complete control of Washington when he returns to office in January.
The victory, secured by flipping seven Democratic seats while losing six, provides Republicans the minimum 218 seats needed for a majority. Combined with their newly won Senate control, the slim victory hands Trump’s party all levers of federal power, though Democrats will retain some influence through the filibuster.
“It is a beautiful morning in Washington. It is a new day in America,” Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., declared Tuesday from the Capitol steps, flanked by his leadership team. “The sun is shining, and that is a reflection about how we all feel.”
The Republican triumph came despite Democratic hopes of reclaiming the majority they lost two years ago. In New York, Democrats defeated three vulnerable GOP freshmen: Reps. Brandon Williams, Anthony D’Esposito, and Marc Molinaro. Democratic challenger George Whitesides also ousted Republican Rep. Mike Garcia in Southern California.
However, Trump’s decisive victory over Vice President Kamala Harris, including wins in battleground states, helped Republicans secure crucial victories. In Pennsylvania, GOP candidates unseated veteran Democratic Reps. Matt Cartwright and Susan Wild, while Trump ally Rep. Scott Perry survived a strong challenge from former TV anchor Janelle Stelson.
The narrow majority presents both opportunities and challenges for Republican governance. The party can use budget reconciliation to fast-track legislation without Democratic support, with discussions already underway about renewing Trump tax cuts and pursuing border security measures. Trump has promised to “seal” the southern border and launch “the largest deportation program in American history.”
Speaker Johnson, who secured his leadership team’s re-election Wednesday, faces potential complications from the appointments of Reps. Elise Stefanik and Mike Waltz to Trump’s administration. Though their districts are solidly Republican, vacancies could temporarily affect the slim majority.
“If there’s unified government… if we have a bicameral approach — Republicans in both chambers working together to develop that agenda and implement it, and President Trump is guiding the way — I think you will certainly have a lot less dissension in the ranks on our side,” Johnson told NBC News before the election.
The victory represents a stinging setback for Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Democrats, who campaigned against Trump as a threat to democracy. Johnson must still secure 218 floor votes in January to win his first full term as speaker, but expressed confidence that “governing is going to be a whole lot easier come January.”
