Despite a poor midterm, the GOP cobbled enough wins to flip the House. How did they do it?
WASHINGTON – Republicans secured the majority in the House on Wednesday evening, cementing control of the lower chamber when Congress returns next year and creating significant roadblocks for the remainder of President Joe Biden's time in the White House.
Rep. Mike Garcia won California's 27th Congressional District, claiming the 218th seat needed for the GOP to flip control of the House.
The win comes after disappointing midterm results for Republican candidates, who were predicted to win by a wider margin. With Democrats controlling the Senate, the divided Congress creates challenges for Biden's agenda in the remaining two years of his administration.
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Some races remain uncalled, which could result in the GOP gaining a larger majority after all 435 seats are decided.
The win follows former President Donald Trump’s announcement Tuesday night that he will run for president in 2024. That came after many Republicans criticized the former president and blamed him for the poor performance by GOP candidates in the midterms.
Where did Republicans win?
When all the races are decided, House Republicans will get far less than the 30- or 40-seat margin once projected.
It'll be closer to three- or four-seat advantage – disappointing for a party that hoped Biden's low approval ratings, high inflation concerns and favorably redrawn congressional maps would propel them to resounding victory.
But they did well enough in reddish states such as Florida and blue states such as New York to compensate for swing states such as Virginia where they expected to win by a wider margin.
Their most high-profile win was ousting New York Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, who chaired the campaign efforts for House Democrats.
Garcia was one example of Republican's continuing progress. He defeated a Democrat challenger in California where Republicans faced a horrendous election in 2018 winning only seven seats across the nation's largest state.
Also in California, Republican incumbent David Valadao is pulling ahead against his Democratic opponent by over five points in a race that has yet to be called.
In in another blue state – New Jersey – Thomas Kean Jr., a Republican and son of a popular former governor, defeated Democratic incumbent Rep. Tom Malinowski in the House race for New Jersey's 7th Congressional district.
Many Republicans in Senate and gubernatorial races sailed to victory in the midterms as well.
Marco Rubio of Florida and Tim Scott of South Carolina cruised to victory for their reelections. Senator-elect Katie Britt defeated a Democratic challenger in Alabama for an open seat.
And in Ohio, Trump-backed J.D. Vance was able to beat back challenger Tim Ryan to keep the seat red.
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As for gubernatorial contests, Republican Brian Kemp pulled in over 50% of the vote, winning his reelection against Democratic challenger Stacey Abrams in Georgia.
And in Iowa, Gov. Kim Reynolds was reelected with nearly 60% of the vote, while Gov. Mike DeWine enjoyed similar success in Ohio.
Where did Republicans underperform?
Despite having a narrow majority in the House, Republicans did not come close to fulfilling predictions that anticipated a red wave. Candidates lost in matchups where they were expected to win or found themselves defeating Democrats by smaller margins than predicted.
Republicans lost races for two Virginia seats they thought they could capture, and seats in Michigan, Washington state, Ohio and New Mexico because of redistricting.
Dozens of Republicans who questioned the 2020 presidential election outcome lost in states like Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
In Senate races, Republican Mehmet Oz lost to Democrat John Fetterman in Pennsylvania and, in New Hampshire, election denier Don Bolduc lost by nearly 10 points in a contest where Democratic incumbent Maggie Hassan was viewed as vulnerable.
Multiple Republicans faced defeats in competitive House races as well.
Former Trump administration official John Gibbs lost by double digits in a Michigan House race against Democrat Hillary Scholten.
Other GOP candidates lost by narrower margins – Bo Hines, who promised to defend Trump’s America First agenda, lost by nearly 3 points in North Carolina; Steve Chabot, who held his seat in a southwest Ohio district for more than 25 years, lost by 5 points. And Mayra Flores, the first Mexican-born woman to be sworn into Congress, lost by 8 points in Texas.
In gubernatorial races, election-denying Republican Tudor Dixon lost her bid in Michigan to incumbent Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer; in Pennsylvania, Republican Doug Mastriano, lost to Josh Shapiro and in Wisconsin, Tim Michels mounted an unsuccessful challenge against Democratic incumbent Gov. Tony Evers.
What does this mean for the Biden administration?
Republican control of the House could lead to legislative gridlock for Biden’s agenda.
Democrats will likely not have enough votes to codify Roe v. Wade, reform immigration laws or pass assault weapons bans.
What will a Republican House look like? A lot of investigations and maybe impeachment.
GOP lawmakers have referenced plans to reduce federal spending that they claim is fueling inflation as well as repeal funding for the Inflation Reduction Act, a legislative package Biden signed into law that aims to fight inflation, lower the deficit, reduce carbon emissions and lower the price of prescription drugs.
Other efforts by a GOP House could put the Biden administration on the defensive, with Republicans expected to launch investigations into Biden's programs and his son Hunter Biden's financial dealings.
Some Republican members have even referenced attempts to impeach Biden. Georgia House Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has introduced articles of impeachment against Biden multiple times.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: To win the House, Republicans won some key races amid poor midterms