Control of the US House hangs in the balance with enormous implications for Trump’s agenda

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. House mostly hung successful nan balance Wednesday, teetering betwixt Republican power that would usher successful a caller era of unified GOP governance successful Washington aliases a flip to Democrats arsenic a past statement of guidance to a Trump second-term White House agenda.

A fewer individual seats, aliases moreover a azygous one, will determine nan outcome. Final tallies will return a while, apt pushing nan determination into adjacent week — aliases beyond.

After Republicans swept into nan majority successful nan U.S. Senate by picking up seats successful West Virginia, Ohio and Montana, House Speaker Mike Johnson predicted his enclosure would autumn successful statement next.

“Republicans are poised to person unified authorities successful nan White House, Senate and House,” Johnson said Wednesday.

President-elect Donald Trump, who won nan Electoral College and nan celebrated vote against Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris, has consolidated increasing powerfulness astir his MAGA movement, backing newcomers to Washington and mounting nan shape for his ain return to nan White House.

Johnson said Republicans successful Congress are preparing an “ambitious” 100-day agenda pinch Trump, who he has said is “thinking big” astir his legacy.

Tax cuts, securing nan confederate separator and taking a ”blowtorch” to national regulations are astatine nan apical of nan schedule if nan GOP sweeps nan White House and Congress. Trump himself has promised wide deportations and retribution against his perceived enemies. And Republicans want to push national agencies retired of Washington and to restaff nan authorities workforce pinch nan thief of extracurricular deliberation tanks, Johnson has said, to bring nan national authorities “to heel.”

But Johnson, aft conscionable a twelvemonth connected nan job, has had trouble governing nan House, and nan caller Congress would beryllium nary different. Hard-liners led by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Rep. Matt Gaetz and others person often confronted and upended their ain GOP activity successful what has been 1 of nan most chaotic sessions successful modern times.

If Johnson’s slim four-seat mostly were to shrink immoderate further, governing could travel to a standstill.

Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said nan House “remains very overmuch successful play.”

With Democrats having defeated 2 House Republicans successful Jeffries’ location authorities of New York, he said nan way to nan mostly now runs done pickup opportunities successful Arizona, Oregon, Iowa and California that are still excessively early to call.

“We must count each vote,” Jeffries said.

The House contests remained a tit-for-tat conflict to nan finish, pinch nary ascendant pathway to nan mostly for either party. Rarely, if ever person nan 2 chambers of Congress flipped successful other directions.

Each broadside is gaining and losing a fewer seats, including done nan redistricting process, which is nan regular redrawing of House spot bound lines. The process reset seats successful North Carolina, Louisiana and Alabama.

Much of nan result hinges connected nan West, peculiarly successful California, wherever a fistful of House seats are being fiercely contested, and mail-in ballots arriving a week aft nan predetermination will still beryllium counted. Hard-fought races astir nan “blue dot” successful Omaha, Nebraska and successful far-flung Alaska are among those being watched.

Trump, speaking early Wednesday astatine his election nighttime party successful Florida, said nan results delivered an “unprecedented and powerful mandate” for Republicans.

He called nan Senate rout “incredible,” and he praised Johnson, saying he’s “doing a terrific job.”

From nan U.S. Capitol, Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell, privately a harsh Trump critic, called it a “hell of a bully day.”

Senate Republicans marched crossed nan representation alongside Trump, flipping nan 3 Democratic-held seats and holding their ain against Democratic challengers who grounded to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz successful Texas and Sen. Rick Scott successful Florida.

In West Virginia, Jim Justice, nan state’s able governor, flipped nan spot held by retiring Sen. Joe Manchin. Republicans toppled Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown successful Ohio pinch GOP luxury car trader and blockchain entrepreneur Bernie Moreno. And Republican Tim Sheehy defeated Democratic Sen. Jon Tester successful Montana.

Democrats avoided a full wipeout by salvaging seats successful nan “blue wall” states. Rep. Elissa Slotkin won an unfastened Senate spot successful Michigan, and Sen. Tammy Baldwin was reelected successful Wisconsin. Pennsylvania’s title betwixt Democratic Sen. Bob Casey and Republican challenger Dave McCormick was still undecided.

In different developments, Democrats made history by sending 2 Black women, Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware and Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland, to nan Senate. Just thee Black women, including Harris, person served successful nan Senate, but ne'er 2 astatine nan aforesaid time.

All told, Senate Republicans person nan imaginable to execute their astir robust mostly successful years — a testament to McConnell, who made a profession charting a way to power, this clip aligned pinch Trump whom he has privately called “despicable” successful nan run-up to nan Jan. 6, 2021, onslaught connected nan Capitol.

During a news convention Wednesday, McConnell declined to reply questions astir his past stark disapproval of Trump and said he viewed nan predetermination results arsenic a referendum connected nan Biden administration.

He told reporters astatine nan Capitol that a Senate nether Republican power would “control nan guardrails” and forestall changes successful Senate rules that would extremity nan filibuster.

“People were conscionable not happy pinch this management and nan Democratic nominee was a portion of it,” McConnell said.

What’s still unclear is who will lead nan caller Republican Senate, arsenic McConnell prepares to measurement down from nan post.

South Dakota Sen. John Thune, nan No. 2 Republican, and Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who antecedently held that post, are nan front-runners to switch McConnell successful a secret-ballot predetermination scheduled for erstwhile senators get successful Washington adjacent week.

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Associated Press writers Stephen Groves, Kevin Freking and Farnoush Amiri contributed to this report.