Control of US House still unclear after Republicans take White House, Senate

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - It is still unclear Thursday if Republicans or Democrats will claim control of the US House of Representatives after Republicans handily won the White House and control of the Senate.

Much of President-elect Donald Trump's agenda hinges on whether his party can control the House, allowing Republicans to have unified control of the federal legislature and the White House. As it stands, Republicans have won 206 seats to 191 for the Democrats, according to The Associated Press.

Republicans need 12 seats to complete their "Red Wave," and win control of the House after holding a historically razor-thin majority in the last two years. They already have at least 52 seats in the 100-member Senate, flipping the chamber.

Democrats, meanwhile, face an uphill battle to secure 27 seats to reach the 218 needed for a majority in the House.

Trump has claimed a blowout victory against Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, far surpassing the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the White House. He also became the first Republican nominee to win the popular vote in two decades. The president-elect currently holds 295 delegates to Harris' 226 following the Nov. 5 polls.

The states of Nevada and Arizona remain undeclared, though both are leaning in Trump's favor.

His victory marks an historic and improbable comeback after he failed to be reelected to a second consecutive term in 2020, one in which he claimed without substantiation that the election was rigged and tried unsuccessfully to overturn the results.

He became the first former president to be charged with state or federal crimes in four separate indictments and was convicted earlier this year in the state of New York on 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up hush money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels, who claimed she had an alleged affair with Trump.

Trump will be inaugurated for a second White House term on Jan. 20, 2025. Harris, as vice president, is slated to oversee the swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol.