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Control of the House hinges on multiple tight races

Election 2022 Congress
Posted at 10:33 AM, Nov 09, 2022
and last updated 2022-11-09 23:53:54-05

Republicans and Democrats were anxiously awaiting results for several races to find out who would win control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

A party must reach 218 seats to gain control of the House.

As of Wednesday morning, Republicans held a narrow edge, climbing above the 200 mark, according to projections by The Associated Press.

Races were outstanding due to tight races in several states, including Arizona, California, New Mexico and Oregon.

California had multiple U.S. House races that were still in play by Wednesday and pundits predicted that they could end up determining if the GOP or the Democrats gain control of the House of Representatives.

California is the nation's most populous state, and has about 52 House contests of which about a dozen of them remained uncertain by Wednesday.

Democratic Rep. Katie Porter and Mike Levin were locked in close races in Southern California districts.

Porter spent over $24 million to win a third term and is considered the star of the progressive part of her party.

California Republicans believe that as many as five districts could swing their way, the Associated Press reported.

The Associated Press reported that Democrat Grace Napolitano won reelection to the House in California's 31st Congressional district.

And in Washington, Democrat Marilyn Strickland won reelection to the House in the state's 10th Congressional district.

In New Jersey, Republican Thomas Kean Jr. won reelection to the House in the state's 7th Congressional District. Kean beat incumbent Tom Malinowski in that race.

A lot would change if Republicans take control of the House. Nancy Pelosi would lose her role as Speaker of the House and Democrats would no longer be in charge of committees.

The committee investigating the attacks on the U.S. Capitol could also be dissolved under Republican leadership.

A change in leadership would also make things more complicated for the Biden administration. It would need to win over bipartisan support for bills to be passed.

For the first two years of his administration, President Joe Biden was able to pass major legislative initiatives, including the infrastructure bill and the Inflation Reduction Act, because Democrats were in control of both chambers.