Democrats have already won control of the Senate, securing 50 seats with a runoff in Georgia next month
Republicans are poised to take back control of the House, one shy of the 208 seats the party wants to retain, raising the prospect of a divided government in Washington.
The Democrats have already taken power in the Senate, gaining 50 seats in the elections in Georgia next month, which could give the party of the president, Mr. Joe Biden, another seat. The GOP entered the election seeking a net gain of just five seats for control of the House.
Nearly a week after the midterm elections, Republicans blocked the majority, giving conservatives the power to undermine Biden’s agenda and push for an investigation. But the narrow numerical advantage will present immediate problems for GOP leaders.
The total number of votes for this party may not be clear for several more days as the votes in the contest continue to be counted.
However, the party was on track to gain 218 seats in California and other states are still calling late.
Even failing to get 218, however, means Republicans may have the smallest majority of the 21st century. It could rival 2001, when Republicans only had a nine-seat majority, 221-212 with two independents.
That dwarfs the victory predicted by Republicans heading into this year’s midterm elections, where the party hoped to reshape the agenda on Capitol Hill by capitalizing on Biden’s economic woes and popularity.
Instead, Democrats managed to upset the GOP’s expected big election, holding on to moderate, urban states from Virginia to Minnesota and Kansas. The result could complicate House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy’s bid to become speaker, as some conservative members questioned whether they should endorse him or be bound by their endorsements.
The thin ones promoted Republican politics and encouraged finger-pointing at what went wrong. Some in the GOP have accused Donald Trump of being worse than expected. The former president, who is expected to announce the third White House panel on Tuesday, nominated candidates for this year’s primaries but failed to win the election.