GOP Projected to Retake House, Ending Democrats' Unified Control of Washington

Republicans are projected to take back the U.S. House of Representatives, ABC News reports, ending the unified Democratic control of Washington that has defined the first two years of Joe Biden's presidency. The party has been in the chamber's minority since 2019.

The result comes despite a midterm that fell short of Republican hopes elsewhere. Democrats have already secured control of the Senate, reaching 50 seats, with a chance to add a 51st in next month's Georgia runoff between incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican Herschel Walker. So the next Congress will be split, with each party holding one chamber.

The practical consequences begin in January, when Republicans take over the House. They will be able to block White House legislative priorities and decide which bills reach the chamber floor. They will also have the power to open committee investigations into the Biden administration. Several House Republicans have already said they intend to investigate the president's son, Hunter Biden, and to examine the administration's policies on COVID-19 and the southern border.

The party's leader in the chamber, California Rep. Kevin McCarthy, was nominated by his colleagues this week to become the next speaker, the chamber's top post and second in line to the presidency. After the closed-door leadership vote on Tuesday, he said he was proud to announce that the era of one-party Democratic rule in Washington is over. He also struck a cautious note, saying the job would not be easy, that the party has a close majority, and that Republicans would have to work together and with anyone who wants to make America stronger.

Before the election, McCarthy laid out his party's governing vision in a plan called the "Commitment to America." It centered on four areas: an economy that's strong, a nation that's safe, a future built on freedom, and a government that's accountable. The pitch largely steered clear of specific policy. It leaned instead on criticism of Biden's leadership, particularly over high inflation and anxiety about crime. McCarthy has also vowed to bring down federal spending, and said Republicans are prepared to press for more congressional oversight of the billions of dollars in financial assistance going to Ukraine as it defends itself against Russia's invasion.

A Republican House was long expected. FiveThirtyEight's forecast had favored the party for months, and midterms have historically served as a referendum on the sitting president's party. In only two of the past 19 midterm cycles, stretching back nearly 40 years, has the president's party gained House seats.

What did not arrive was the "red wave" Republicans had anticipated. Democrats held the Senate and limited their House losses. Exit polling showed voters, independents included, favored Democrats on issues such as abortion access, even as the public disapproved of economic conditions.

Biden has celebrated beating back those historical headwinds. He framed the elections as a choice between Democratic priorities and those of far-right "MAGA Republicans," rather than a judgment on his first two years in office. When Democrats were projected to win the Senate, he told reporters he was incredibly pleased by the turnout and thought it reflected the quality of Democratic candidates.

What to watch from here: the Georgia runoff, which would settle whether Democrats hold 50 or 51 Senate seats, and how McCarthy manages a narrow majority once investigations and Ukraine oversight begin in January.