Republicans Win Control of US House of Representatives After Midterm Election
The US Congress building at Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.
The GOP’s recent narrow win of the US House of Representatives will ring in the start of a divided government in 2023, and likely halt any chances of legislation championed by the Biden White House ending up on the president’s desk for signage. However, Biden has stressed he intends to work with Republicans to avoid an all-out standstill.Republicans clinched control of the US House of Representatives after four years’ worth of Democrat leadership in the chamber, election results confirmed late Wednesday.The Grand Old Party (GOP) had needed to win the required 218 seats in order to gain a majority in the lower chamber. It managed to do so after the reelection of Rep. Mike Garcia in California’s 27th District.The majority call had been on a pause since Monday, when Republicans remained stuck at a 217-seat count. The GOP only needed to win over five seats from Democrats in order to come out winning and oust House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) from her post.At present, Democrats have control of 210 seats, but several races have yet to be called.Shortly after the call was made US President Joe Biden issued his congratulations to House Republicans, and more specifically to Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who is poised to serve as the chamber’s majority leader. A vote on whether McCarthy officially serves as House speaker will be held in the chamber on January 3, 2023.”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 noted in the statement.”In this election, voters spoke clearly about their concerns: the need to lower costs, protect the right to choose, and preserve our democracy. As I said last week, the future is too promising to be trapped in political warfare. The American people want us to get things done for them. They want us to focus on the issues that matter to them and on making their lives better. And I will work with anyone – Republican or Democrat – willing to work with me to deliver results for them.”Republicans had gone into the midterm election season with the hopes of gaining dozens of seats, as history has shown the party in power nearly always loses seats. In light of Biden’s low approval ratings and economic setbacks, talks of a so-called “red wave” were rampant but did not come to fruition.
2022 US MidtermsLack of Midterm ‘Red Wave’ May Mark Limits of Republican Strategy – Experts11 November, 02:37 GMTRegardless of the “red wave” on election night, many Republicans stuck to focusing on the positives – the seats they did manage to pick up. McCarthy told supporters at his election night party: “Two years ago when I became leader, Republicans had less than 200 seats in the house. That cycle we picked up 14 seats when every single person said that would be impossible.”With Republicans now taking control of the lower chamber, Biden’s agenda for the remaining two years of his administration is likely to hit major bumps; however, the Democratic Senate is expected to move ahead with any judicial or administration appointments with ease. Bipartisan support will be key to passing any legislation that enters the House.
