Republicans close to securing house control, set to shape post-election agenda

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REPUBLICANS are nearing control of the U.S. House of Representatives, a key development for President-elect Donald Trump as he prepares to take office in January.

With votes still being counted from the November 5 general election, Republicans had secured 213 of the 435 House seats, according to Edison Research.

The firm projected that Representative Jeff Hurd had enough support to retain the Republican stronghold in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District.

To retain control of the House, Republicans need just five more seats.

Meanwhile, they have already secured enough victories to reclaim the U.S. Senate from Democrats.

However, Edison Research projected late on Friday that Democratic Senator Jacky Rosen won re-election in Nevada.

Edison Research reported that Democrats have won 205 seats thus far.

On Saturday, it was also projected that Representative Greg Stanton of Arizona had secured re-election.

For Democrats to take control of the House, they would need to win 13 of the remaining 17 contested seats.

With Trump's win in the presidential race and Republicans securing control of the Senate, holding the House would give the GOP significant power to advance their agenda,

which includes tax cuts, energy deregulation, and stricter border security measures.

Most of the remaining races are in Western states, where vote counting tends to take longer.

Nine of the contested seats are currently held by Republicans, while eight are held by Democrats. Fourteen of these districts were considered highly competitive ahead of the election.

Next week, Republican senators will choose their leader for 2025, with John Thune, John Cornyn, and Rick Scott competing for the role.

On Saturday, Senators Bill Hagerty and Rand Paul endorsed Scott over Thune and Cornyn, who were seen as the favorites due to their seniority.

Cornyn pledged on Saturday that if he were to become Senate leader, he would keep the Senate in session until Trump's cabinet is confirmed.

"No weekends, no breaks. Democrats can either cooperate in the best interest of the country or continue the resistance, which will eventually be worn down," he wrote on X.(CMM)