While most eyes are on the today’s presidential election, there are plenty of races in the battle for control of the U.S. House of Representatives to keep watch on. Democrats currently hold a 232-to-197 majority in the lower chamber and are expected to maintain control. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has expressed optimism in gaining more seats, while President Trump feels that Republicans have a good shot at closing the gap or even possibly taking back control of the House.
Republicans would need to add 18 seats to gain the majority in the House. Non-partisan Cook Political Report lists 17 currently held Republican seats as toss-ups and nine currently held Democratic seats as toss-ups. So for Republicans to regain control of the House, they would need to hold all 17 of their seats that are currently considered a toss-up, win all nine of the Democratic seats considered toss-ups, and then somehow manage to pick up nine more seats. It’s a tall order and the reason why Democrats and Pelosi are feeling pretty confident.
In 2018, early Democratic victories in Oklahoma, Georgia and South Carolina all pointed to a big night for the left. Tonight a few key races to watch include Virginia’s 5th Congressional District, featuring Democrat Cameron Webb and Republican Bob Good. In North Carolina, GOP Representative Richard Hudson is in a tight race with Democrat Pat Timmons-Goodson. In Iowa’s 1st Congressional District, Democrat Abby Finkenauer is looking to defend her seat against Republican Ashley Hinson. In New York’s 11th Congressional District, Democrat Max Rose will be looking to protect his seat and is expected to face a tough challenge from Republican Nicole Malliotakis.
As results start to come in from some of these early races, it may provide a good glimpse into how the rest of the night will fare in the battle for the House.
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