US midterm polls: The Republican party won control of the US House, restoring their political dominance in the United States and providing conservatives the means to thwart President Joe Biden's agenda and launch a flurry of probes.
However, a tenuous majority will provide immediate concerns for GOP leaders and likely to complicate the party's capability to govern.
Republicans won the 218th seat necessary to take back control of the House from the Democrats more than a week after election day. Given that votes in close contests are still being tallied, it might be a few more days before the full extent of the party's majority is known, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
However, they are on track to put together a majority that may be the party's slimmest in the 21st century, rivalling that of 2001, when Republicans had just a nine-seat majority, 221-212 with two independents.
GOP fails to achieve landslide victory
That falls far short of the landslide triumph the GOP projected prior to this year's midterm elections, when the party intended to reshape the legislative calendar by leveraging the economy and President Biden's waning support.
Meanwhile, Democrats have shown unexpected tenacity by retaining control of moderate, suburban districts from Virginia to Minnesota and Kansas.
The outcomes might make House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy's intentions to become speaker more difficult, as several conservative members aren't sure whether to support him or have put conditions for their support.
On Wednesday night, McCarthy took to Twitter to declare that his party had "officially flipped" the House: “Americans are ready for a new direction, and House Republicans are ready to deliver.”
President Biden Congratulate Republicans; pledged to work with House Republicans
Meanwhile, President Biden congratulated Republicans and McCarthy and also vowed to work with House Republicans to deliver results for working families.
“Last week’s elections demonstrated the strength and resilience of American democracy. There was a strong rejection of election deniers, political violence, and intimidation. There was an emphatic statement that, in America, the will of the people prevails,” Biden wrote on Twitter. He further added that the future is too promising to be trapped in political warfare.
The narrow margins have upended Republican politics and prompted finger-pointing about what went wrong. Some in the GOP have blamed Donald Trump for the worse-than-expected outcome.
The former President, who announced his third White House bid Tuesday, lifted candidates during this year’s Republican primaries who often questioned the results of the 2020 election or downplayed the mob attack on the US Capitol last year. Many of those struggled to win during the general election.
Republicans to take control of key committees
Despite the GOP’s underwhelming showing, the party will still have notable power. Republicans will take control of key committees, giving them the ability to shape legislation and launch probes of Biden, his family and his administration.
There’s particular interest in investigating the overseas business dealings of the president’s son Hunter Biden. Some of the most conservative lawmakers have raised the prospect of impeaching Biden, though that will be much harder for the party to accomplish with a tight majority.
Any legislation that emerges from the House could face steep odds in the Senate, where Democrats won the barest of majorities Saturday. It is worth mentioning here that both parties are looking to a December 6 Senate runoff in Georgia as the last chance to pad their ranks.
(With inputs from AP)
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