Republicans flip the House - POLITICO - POLITICO

Redistricting, open-seat victories and a amazingly beardown showing successful New York State carried the GOP backmost to power. But President Joe Biden’s middling support ratings and a lackluster system mostly failed to propel Republican candidates implicit battle-tested Democratic members and a wider majority. In the end, lone six Democratic incumbents fell.

In a connection Wednesday night, Biden congratulated House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, who is successful enactment to beryllium the adjacent speaker, connected the GOP victory: “I congratulate Leader McCarthy connected Republicans winning the House majority, and americium acceptable to enactment with House Republicans to present results for moving families.”

For his part, McCarthy talked astir utilizing the GOP’s caller powerfulness to incorporate the Biden administration.

“Think for 1 moment. It is official,” helium told Fox News’ Sean Hannity. “One enactment Democrat regularisation successful Washington is finished. We person fired Nancy Pelosi.”

Democrats held retired anticipation of keeping the House for portion of the summertime and fall, arsenic voters vented fury astatine the Republican Party implicit the extremity of Roe v. Wade. But portion the contented of termination gave Democrats a boost with voters and helped adjacent up what had been processing arsenic a Republican year, it was not capable to halt the GOP’s gains entirely.

Republicans needed to nett lone 5 seats to instrumentality power of the House. The enactment notched aboriginal victories connected predetermination nighttime successful Florida, wherever beardown performances astatine the apical of the summons by Gov. Ron DeSantis and Sen. Marco Rubio — coupled with a new, aggressively gerrymandered legislature representation — helped the GOP adhd respective seats.

Those aboriginal wins did not construe implicit to galore of the astir competitory districts crossed the country. A fig of endangered Democratic incumbents survived, including Reps. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia, Angie Craig of Minnesota and Chris Pappas of New Hampshire, and the enactment captured unfastened toss-up seats successful states including Ohio, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

Still, Republicans notched a banner triumph implicit DCCC president Sean Patrick Maloney successful upstate New York, 1 of respective pickups successful the state. Republican Marc Molinaro won a spot that included overmuch of the turf helium mislaid successful a summertime peculiar election. And each of Long Island turned reddish arsenic Republicans George Santos and Anthony D’Esposito captured unfastened blue-leaning seats.

And the GOP besides managed to flip seats successful Virginia, wherever Jen Kiggans unseated Rep. Elaine Luria; Arizona wherever Eli Crane defeated Rep. Tom O’Halleran; New Jersey, wherever Tom Kean Jr. bushed Rep. Tom Malinowski; and Iowa wherever Zach Nunn bested Rep. Cindy Axne.

Republicans besides picked up unfastened seats successful Arizona, Michigan, New York, Oregon, Texas and Wisconsin. But astir of those districts were seats that Democrats walked distant from, reasoning they had nary changeable successful keeping them successful 2022. Several of them ended up being among the closest contests.

In Michigan, Republican John James, a highly touted recruit, bushed an underfunded Democrat by little than 1 point. In Arizona, Republican Juan Ciscomani had a overmuch person than expected contention with Democrat Kirsten Engel. Both contests saw small to nary extracurricular spending by Democratic groups.

Democrats fought backmost successful immoderate places, not lone limiting their losses but flipping GOP-held districts successful Michigan and Washington State, 2 places wherever Republicans who voted to impeach Donald Trump mislaid successful primaries. Democrats were capable to bushed the eventual far-right nominees successful the wide elections.

Democratic candidates besides felled Reps. Steve Chabot (R-Ohio) and Yvette Herrell (R-N.M.) successful seats that got bluer acknowledgment to redistricting. But it wasn’t capable to stave disconnected a flip of the House.

Another California contention was called Wednesday evening: Rep. Mike Levin, a Democrat, won different word successful the state’s 49th District.

Also, Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine) was declared the victor successful his race. Maine uses a ranked-choice voting system.

Seven House races stay uncalled: 1 successful Alaska, 1 successful Colorado and 5 successful California. Democrats pb successful 4 of them.

Olivia Olander contributed to this report.