Republican gains narrow House gap as contested races persist
Republicans experienced a positive shift on Friday as several closely contested midterm elections were finalized in their favor.
The Associated Press reported that Democrats have secured 254 House races, while Republicans have won 162 (an increase from 155 the previous day). Nineteen House seats remain undecided.
Among the Republican victories announced Friday were those of Rep. Jeff Hurd in Colorado, Mark Lamb in Arizona, and Anthony Constantino in New York’s 21st Congressional District. Constantino had previously announced his victory at his Election Night gathering.
While Republicans have gained ground, Democrats maintain a substantial lead in roughly half of the remaining uncalled races, potentially allowing them to further expand their majority.
Incumbent Republicans facing challenges in retaining their seats include Lauren Boebert (Colorado), Brand Finstad (Minnesota), Scott DesJarlais (Tennessee), and Virginia Foxx (North Carolina).
A lawyer for Boebert’s campaign alleged “unusual voting patterns” in her race against Eileen Laubacher and anticipates a recount. Scott Gessler, also a former Colorado secretary of state, stated, “Since election night, ballot returns have been trending in Congresswoman Boebert’s direction, consistently lowering the margin under one percentage point. We are investigating some very unusual voting patterns and expect this election to head to a recount, one way or another.”
Democrats have currently gained at least 42 seats in the House.
Two Senate races remain uncalled: Alaska and Mississippi.
In Alaska, Democrat Mary Peltola holds a narrow lead of 0.3 percentage points, or approximately 600 votes, over incumbent GOP Sen. Dan Sullivan, with 74% of ballots tallied in the ranked-choice election.
In Mississippi, Democrat Scott Colom leads incumbent GOP Sen. Cindy Hyde‑Smith by 0.3 percentage points, or roughly 2,500 votes, with 97% of ballots counted. Hyde‑Smith posted on X, “We are not backing down. This election is not over. Our team is working across Mississippi to monitor the remaining ballots and protect the integrity of the process. We will see this through to the very end!”
Democrats currently hold a 54-44 majority in the Senate.
Source
“GOP counts a few more wins in House races — but Democrats still have massive majority”
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