After clinching Senate, Dems eye the unthinkable: Holding the House - POLITICO

With the Senate present successful hand, Democrats are hoping for thing that was astir unimaginable a week ago: keeping the House.

Sen. Catherine Corez Masto (D-Nev.) was declared the victor implicit Republican Adam Laxalt precocious Saturday night, securing Democrats astatine slightest a 50-50 divided successful the precocious enclosure adjacent earlier the Georgia runoff successful aboriginal December.

After her win, each eyes crook to the House. There are inactive 21 seats near uncalled, and Democrats person a morganatic — if constrictive — accidental of holding the little enclosure arsenic well.

In those uncalled races, Democrats would request to astir tally the array to support the House. That remains unlikely, and Republicans are inactive favored to flip the chamber. But immoderate bulk — for either enactment — volition apt beryllium incredibly narrow, a large disappointment for the Republican Party that was crowing astir a reddish question adjacent the greeting of the election.

“The pundits successful Washington said we couldn’t triumph due to the fact that ‘history, history, history.’ Elections are astir the future,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said successful an interrogation connected ABC’s “This Week” with George Stephanopoulos connected Sunday morning. “I’m precise arrogant of our candidates.”

Of the 26 House races POLITICO forecasted arsenic toss-ups earlier the election, conscionable 5 of them stay uncalled. Democrats would apt request to triumph each 5 of those, triumph the remaining 3 uncalled races forecasted arsenic “lean Democratic” — they presently pb successful each 3 — and devour into immoderate districts initially forecasted arsenic “lean Republican” to triumph the chamber.

A fig of those undecided races are successful California, wherever galore votes stay uncounted and wherever mail-in votes produced a large displacement successful 2018 successful the days and weeks aft Election Day.

Pelosi acknowledged successful the interrogation that it would inactive beryllium a steep ascent for her enactment to triumph the House. “We’ll see” was astir each she offered successful effect to a question astir the possibility. She added that she was “disappointed” by the result of a fistful of cardinal House races successful New York that Republicans flipped, which came aft the authorities Supreme Court threw retired a representation the Democratic-controlled authorities Legislature drew that favored their party.

“That 4 votes could marque a quality astatine the extremity of the day,” Pelosi said. “But we haven’t fixed up.” She besides declined to accidental if she would tally for talker again should Democrats win.

The past 96 hours person been bitter for House Republicans.

“This was a precise disappointing result connected predetermination night, not the 1 we expected,” Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), who is running to beryllium House GOP whip, said successful an interrogation connected “Fox News Sunday” connected Sunday morning. “There volition beryllium a batch of unpacking the result for weeks to come. Did we person the incorrect strategy? Why did our connection not interruption through? Why did the voters not bargain into the imaginativeness and the connection that Republicans were selling?”

But Banks predicted Republicans volition inactive triumph “a precise slim” majority. He said a tiny House bulk would service arsenic “the past enactment of defense” against President Joe Biden’s agenda.

Democrats’ hopes of winning the House got a astonishing boost connected Saturday night, erstwhile Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez defeated far-right Republican Joe Kent successful Washington’s red-leaning 3rd District. Republicans mislaid the spot aft Kent successfully displaced GOP Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler retired of the district’s top-two all-party primary, railing against her for being 1 of the fistful of the Republicans who voted to impeach erstwhile President Donald Trump for his relation successful inciting the onslaught connected the Capitol connected Jan. 6, 2021.

Outside of the House, 1 of the past large uncalled races is the Arizona politician race. There, Democratic Secretary of State Katie Hobbs narrowly leads Republican Kari Lake, a erstwhile TV anchor who became a salient booster of Trump’s lies astir the 2020 election.

Hobbs’ pb is tenuous. The secretary of state’s bureau estimated precocious Saturday that determination were astir 250,000 ballots remaining to beryllium counted crossed the state, successful summation to 16,000 provisional ballots that could beryllium added to the tally. The immense bulk of those ballots are successful Maricopa County, the state’s astir populous county.

In a Sunday interrogation connected “Fox News Futures,” Lake said she anticipated those ballots would thin toward Republicans.

Maricopa County officials are expected to study tens of thousands of much ballots this evening, and officials successful the region said past week that they expect the tally to beryllium done aboriginal this week.

Though power of the Senate is present settled, the run for the enclosure isn’t over. Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) and Republican Herschel Walker are acceptable to look disconnected successful a runoff connected Dec. 6. An other spot for Democrats, bringing their borderline to 51-49, would marque a important difference. It would springiness them majorities connected cardinal committees, alternatively of an adjacent split. And it would marque it easier for the enactment to o.k. Biden’s judicial and different nominees, which is expected to beryllium a major absorption of the Democratic majority.

“I’m assured successful Georgia that Rev. Warnock volition beryllium reelected and backmost successful the Senate,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said successful a late-night property league Saturday, aft helium secured different 2 years arsenic Senate bulk leader.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee publicly released a memo from Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), the committee chair, connected Saturday day astir the runoff, pleading with donors to assistance money Walker’s campaign. The Scott memo said Walker raised $7 cardinal connected Wednesday and Thursday, but “we request to support it up and marque definite everyone does everything they tin to enactment Herschel Walker and marque definite we triumph backmost the majority.”

Even though the 2022 midterms aren’t yet successful the books, the 2024 campaign is already good underway. Trump has a looming announcement connected Tuesday, wherever helium is wide expected to denote different tally for president astatine his Florida estate. Anita Dunn, a elder advisor to Biden, said Trump’s announcement won’t alteration Biden’s ain plans connected CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

“The president has made it wide helium intends to tally and that helium volition marque a ceremonial determination aboriginal this twelvemonth oregon aboriginal adjacent year,” she told anchor Margaret Brennan. “You don’t tally for president due to the fact that of what the different broadside is doing oregon what different campaigner whitethorn beryllium doing.”

Even so, immoderate Republicans person publically pleaded with Trump to clasp disconnected until aft the Georgia runoff. They’re apt having uncomfortable flashbacks to 2021, wherever Trump’s fixation connected a stolen predetermination story apt helped outgo Republicans a brace of Senate runoffs successful the state. But Trump has shown nary signs of changing his mind. Late Saturday night, aft Nevada and the Senate was called for Democrats,Trump’s fundraising cognition teased a run.

“If you privation maine to tally successful 2024, who should my Vice President be?” an email signed by Trump read. “You person 30 minutes to answer.”