Republicans win House majority, securing sweeping power in Washington
Posted on 11/14/2024
Republicans won control of the House of Representatives on Wednesday, according to a projection by the Associated Press, handing the party a sweep and ushering in a new era in Washington.
With the presidency, the Senate and the House in hand, the Republican Party has a powerful governing trifecta. President-elect Donald Trump and his close ally, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) have promised an overhaul of the federal government and profound changes to domestic and foreign policy.
“We’re going to raise an America First banner above this place,” Johnson said, gesturing to the Capitol dome during a news conference earlier this week.
Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani defeated Democrat Kirsten Engel in the race for Arizona’s 6th Congressional District, giving the GOP enough seats to take control of the House.
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While the House GOP agenda has yet to be released, Republican leaders said they would prioritize passing a robust border security bill before working with the Senate to quickly reauthorize Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
Johnson said House Republicans have a mandate to quickly implement Trump’s policies, such as significantly scaling back environmental regulations and ending what he called “wokeness and radical gender ideology.”
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The biggest challenge to that vision may come from within the party itself. House Republicans will likely enter the 119th Congress with a slim majority. Johnson will have to navigate pressure from Trump to find votes among moderate Republicans who may not support his more unorthodox policies, as well as hard-liners who revolt when policies are not conservative enough.
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Trump has in recent days narrowed the Republican majority, poaching Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-New York) and Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Florida) to serve in his Cabinet. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) resigned his House seat Wednesday, the same day Trump announced he would be nominated as attorney general. Waltz would immediately become Trump’s national security adviser once the president-elect is inaugurated on Jan. 20. Stefanik would resign from the House after being confirmed by the Senate to be U.N. ambassador.
“President Trump fully understands and appreciates the math here,” Johnson said. “I don’t expect that we will have more members leaving.”
House Republicans were able to flip three districts across Michigan and Pennsylvania, powered in part by Trump’s ability to turn out loyal voters who sat out during the 2022 midterms. They’ve picked up a fourth seat in Colorado, where the Democratic incumbent conceded ahead of an Associated Press call.
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But Republicans also lost three seats in New York after Democrats, led in part by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York), launched a coordinated campaign to boost their candidates. They also lost a fourth seat in California.
The GOP win in many ways defied expectations. In the lead-up to Election Day, the Democratic Party appeared to have momentum. The last two years of Republican control have been defined by intraparty battles, most notably the first ouster of a House speaker in U.S. history.
Instead, voters in numerous states remain concerned about high prices, public safety and immigration — all issues they seemed to trust Republicans to handle better than Democrats. Republicans were able to maintain the inroads they have made with working-class voters and Latinos, two constituencies that were once reliable Democratic blocs.
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“Shocking to me,” one House Republican said. “Everyone is surprised by the numbers.”
House Democrats remained in a state of shock as they watched their chances of keeping the majority slip away. During their caucus call last week, Democrats were somber over losing voters who overwhelmingly elected Trump to a second term. But House Democrats largely realized that their candidates and incumbents overperformed Harris, winning in districts that Trump won handily.
In a statement, Jeffries, who had hoped to hold the speaker’s gavel, said that “House Democrats gave it our all.”
“While we will not regain control of the Congress in January, falling just a few seats short, House Democrats will hold Republicans to a razor-thin majority. That is unprecedented in a so-called presidential wave election,” he added.
With the presidency, the Senate and the House in hand, the Republican Party has a powerful governing trifecta. President-elect Donald Trump and his close ally, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) have promised an overhaul of the federal government and profound changes to domestic and foreign policy.
“We’re going to raise an America First banner above this place,” Johnson said, gesturing to the Capitol dome during a news conference earlier this week.
Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani defeated Democrat Kirsten Engel in the race for Arizona’s 6th Congressional District, giving the GOP enough seats to take control of the House.
Advertisement
While the House GOP agenda has yet to be released, Republican leaders said they would prioritize passing a robust border security bill before working with the Senate to quickly reauthorize Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
Johnson said House Republicans have a mandate to quickly implement Trump’s policies, such as significantly scaling back environmental regulations and ending what he called “wokeness and radical gender ideology.”
Skip to end of carousel
Election 2024
Sign up for The Campaign Moment, reporter Aaron Blake’s guide to what you really need to know about the election.
1 / 4
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The biggest challenge to that vision may come from within the party itself. House Republicans will likely enter the 119th Congress with a slim majority. Johnson will have to navigate pressure from Trump to find votes among moderate Republicans who may not support his more unorthodox policies, as well as hard-liners who revolt when policies are not conservative enough.
Advertisement
Trump has in recent days narrowed the Republican majority, poaching Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-New York) and Rep. Michael Waltz (R-Florida) to serve in his Cabinet. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) resigned his House seat Wednesday, the same day Trump announced he would be nominated as attorney general. Waltz would immediately become Trump’s national security adviser once the president-elect is inaugurated on Jan. 20. Stefanik would resign from the House after being confirmed by the Senate to be U.N. ambassador.
“President Trump fully understands and appreciates the math here,” Johnson said. “I don’t expect that we will have more members leaving.”
House Republicans were able to flip three districts across Michigan and Pennsylvania, powered in part by Trump’s ability to turn out loyal voters who sat out during the 2022 midterms. They’ve picked up a fourth seat in Colorado, where the Democratic incumbent conceded ahead of an Associated Press call.
Advertisement
But Republicans also lost three seats in New York after Democrats, led in part by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York), launched a coordinated campaign to boost their candidates. They also lost a fourth seat in California.
The GOP win in many ways defied expectations. In the lead-up to Election Day, the Democratic Party appeared to have momentum. The last two years of Republican control have been defined by intraparty battles, most notably the first ouster of a House speaker in U.S. history.
Instead, voters in numerous states remain concerned about high prices, public safety and immigration — all issues they seemed to trust Republicans to handle better than Democrats. Republicans were able to maintain the inroads they have made with working-class voters and Latinos, two constituencies that were once reliable Democratic blocs.
Advertisement
“Shocking to me,” one House Republican said. “Everyone is surprised by the numbers.”
House Democrats remained in a state of shock as they watched their chances of keeping the majority slip away. During their caucus call last week, Democrats were somber over losing voters who overwhelmingly elected Trump to a second term. But House Democrats largely realized that their candidates and incumbents overperformed Harris, winning in districts that Trump won handily.
In a statement, Jeffries, who had hoped to hold the speaker’s gavel, said that “House Democrats gave it our all.”
“While we will not regain control of the Congress in January, falling just a few seats short, House Democrats will hold Republicans to a razor-thin majority. That is unprecedented in a so-called presidential wave election,” he added.
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