As expected, all the major networks are now projecting that Republicans will maintain control of the House of Representatives. While it’s unclear exactly what the balance of power will ultimately be, it was always fairly unlikely that Democrats would be able to make up their 30-seat deficit. Now, all eyes will turn to the key Senate races around the country where Democrats have a much better chance of taking over the majority.
As The Hill points out, while many House races are still underway several seats have already flipped parties in Florida.
Republican Neal Dunn defeated Democrat Walter Dartland in Florida’s 2nd district. That seat was vacated by retiring Rep. Gwen Graham (D-Fla.). The Florida Panhandle-area seat had become even more favorable to Republicans this year due to redistricting.
In southeastern Florida, Republican Brian Mast prevailed over Democrat Randy Perkins. The seat had been vacated by Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-Fla.), who ran for Senate and lost earlier in the evening to Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.).
Democrats evened out those losses with two gains of their own in Florida.
In district 10, former Orlando police chief Val Demings cruised to victory. Demings is the first woman and first African-American to represent the district. The district had previously been represented by Rep. Daniel Webster (R-Fla.), who decided to run for reelection this year in another district.
Former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist defeated Rep. David Jolly (R-Fla.) in a district that had become more Democratic thanks to redrawn boundaries. Jolly had originally run for Senate but decided to run for reelection after Rubio reversed course on keeping his seat.
With Republicans now confirmed to to maintain control of the House the focus will be on how many seats Democrats are able to pick up overall as it will have a big impact on Paul Ryan’s chances of retaining the Speakership. Per The Hill, Democrats would declare a victory if they’re able to pick up 20 seats or more while Republicans will be deemed the victors if they keep the lost seats below 10.
If Democrats can gain as many as 20 seats, it will be seen as a significant victory. And if Republicans can keep Democratic gains to single digits, it would be seen as a victory for them.
A smaller House GOP majority would make Speaker Paul Ryan’s (R-Wis.) job all the more difficult in the next Congress starting in January 2017.
Meanwhile, as of right now, 158 of the 277 House seats up for grabs have been called with Republicans having a 32 seat advantage.
With that, all eyes turn to the Senate and Clinton vs. Trump which is looking more and more like it will be a long battle.
via http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-11-08/republicans-retain-control-house Tyler Durden