With the focus sharply on the U.S. Presidential and Senate election results on Tuesday, it’s easy to forget that power of the country’s lower chamber of Congress — the House of Representatives — is also up for grabs.
The 435 seats of the House are contested every two years, meaning its members were on the ballot on Tuesday, too.
By 11:20 p.m. ET on Wednesday, the Associated Press had called 394 House races, with 204 seats expected to be secured by the Democrats, and 190 for the Republicans.
A party must win 218 of 435 seats to form a majority in the House.
2016 and 2018 election results
During the 2016 election, the Republicans won 241 seats to secure the House for the party.
The Democrats, meanwhile, garnered 194 seats.
Two years later, though, the Democrats managed flip the House, winning a 235-seat majority.
The victory marked a stunning 41-seat increase in what has been called the “blue wave.”
The Republican Party, which had held House since 2011, amassed 199 seats during the 2018 midterms.
The Democratic victory meant California Rep. Nancy Pelosi once again became Speaker — a job she previously held from 2007 to 2011.
Former Speaker of the House, Republican Paul Ryan, ultimately retired in January 2019, saying he did not intend to run for re-election in 2020 and wanted to spend more time with his family.
Ahead of the vote on Tuesday, the House was comprised of 232 Democrats, 197 Republicans, one Libertarian — Michigan Rep. Justin Amash — and five vacancies.
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This year the Democrats are looking to expand their majority in the House.
They are also hoping their colleagues in the Senate are able to turn enough seats blue in order to take control and help pass legislation through both chambers of Congress more easily.
The last two years has seen the GOP-held Senate stall or vote down a number of Democratic bills.
However, by 11 p.m. ET, the Associated Press projected the Democrats and Republicans had each secured 48 seats in the Senate.
Meanwhile, House Republicans are seeking to flip enough seats in the lower chamber to take control.
But experts say it is unlikely the Republicans will be able to flip enough seats.
In fact, by Monday evening, both political analysis websites Decision Desk HQ and FiveThirtyEight projected the Democrats would remain in control of the House of Representatives.
The latest projection from FiveThirtyEight said the Democrats have an 80 per cent chance of winning between 225 and 254 seats in the House.
According to Decision Desk HQ, the Democrats had a 98.3 per cent chance of keeping majority rule.
Pelosi re-elected
While Pelosi serves as Speaker of the House of Representatives, Maryland Rep. Steny Hoyer represents Democrats on the floor as Majority Leader.
South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn serves as Majority Whip.
Pelosi, who represents California’s 12th Congressional district was re-elected on Tuesday.
As the results continued to roll in, Pelosi said Democrats would retain control of the House.
“I’m very, very proud of the fact that tonight – relatively early – we are able to say that we have held the house,” she said.
The Associated Press, however, has not yet projected a Democratic victory.
Hoyer was re-elected on Tuesday.
Clayburn is also seeking re-election and are expected to defeat their Republican challengers, though ballots in each race are still being counted.
Meanwhile, on the Republican side, California Rep. Kevin McCarthy represents the GOP on the House floor as Minority leader with Steve Scalise serving as the party’s Whip.
The Associated Press has projected McCarthy and Scalise have won re-election for the Republicans.
‘The Squad’
Eyes were also on freshman members New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib and Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar as ballots were counted.
The members, nicknamed “The Squad,” were elected during the 2018 midterms. Each have served on heavy-hitting committees, including those that oversee the financial industry, foreign affairs and the federal budget during their first two years as members of the House.
However, their progressive politics have made them the target of many Republicans, including U.S. President Donald Trump, who has launched repeated attacks.
Last year, the Republican president drew ire from the public after he wrote a tweet urging the four women to “go back” to where they came from, despite the fact that all are U.S. citizens.
The Associated Press has projected all four members have won re-election.
In a tweet Tuesday evening, Ocasio-Cortez said serving the district and “fighting for working class families in Congress has been the greatest honor, privilege, & responsibility” of her life.
“Thank you to the Bronx & Queens for re-electing me to the House despite the millions spent against us, & trusting me to represent you once more,” she wrote.
Other notable members
The spotlight was also on a number of members who made headlines during Trump’s impeachment hearings last year.
California Rep. Adam Schiff, who serves as the House Intelligence Committee Chair and Jerrold Nadler, House Judiciary Committee Chair, headed the proceedings in the House, outlining the case for impeaching the president.
Both Nadler and Schiff were projected to their seats, according to the Associated Press.
Meanwhile, California Rep. Devin Nunez, the top minority-party member of the House Intelligence Committee, who vehemently defended Trump during the hearings, was projected to win his seat.
Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan and Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz also made headlines for their questioning of witnesses during the impeachment hearings.
The Associated Press projected both Gaetz and Jordan had been re-elected for the Republicans.
— With a file from Reuters
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