(FreedomBeacon.com)- Following Tuesday night’s midterm elections, NBC News predicted a Republican victory in the U.S. House by a margin of just nine seats.
The margin of victory was in question after Tuesday night and well into Thursday, even though Republicans were expected to win the House going into the midterm elections.
Republicans will control 222 seats, while Democrats will command 213 seats, predicts NBC News.
Despite a poor midterm election, Republicans are close to taking control of the House, giving them a foothold to check President Joe Biden and congressional Democrats.
According to The Associated Press, the GOP has won 217 House seats. Ten districts being too close to call or too early to predict a winner leaves just one seat needed for a majority.
As a result of that math, only two questions remain: When will Republicans win the 218th district, and how large will their majority be?
Both come to California, where seven of the last ten seats are still undecided despite the state’s drawn-out voting process.
GOP Rep. Mike Garcia to the north of Los Angeles and Republican challenger Kevin Kiley in the High Sierras are the front-runners in two of the ten races still up for grabs in California. It might be decided on any race as early as Tuesday night.
Additionally, Republicans actively seek to increase their slim lead in two other California races: the Democratic Rep. Katie Porter’s reelection campaign in Orange County and the open seat in the Central Valley. When Orange County started counting ballots cast on Election Day last Tuesday, Republican Scott Baugh reduced Porter’s lead in the vote count on Monday to about 2,900, but Porter surged back in Tuesday’s report, surging back to a 3,800-vote lead.
Votes cast on election day benefit Republicans, whereas votes on pre-election day tend to favor Democrats.
Five victories on Monday night helped Republicans go closer to the majority: The AP reported Reps. Republican candidates Juan Ciscomani and Brandon Williams successfully won open seats in Arizona and New York. The GOP candidates David Schweikert (R-Ariz.), Ken Calvert (R-Calif.), and Michelle Steel (R-Calif.) also won their elections.
