The House majority is still in play as Republicans eye a red flag

The race for control of the House of Representatives is still undecided, although Republicans are already expressing initial optimism about achieving a three-way constellation with their new Senate majority and newly elected President Donald Trump.

“The more results come in, the clearer it becomes that Republicans, as we have always predicted, are ready to have a unified government in the White House, the Senate and the House,” said Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson. on Wednesday in a statement.

This initial confidence comes as Republicans need to gain 12 more seats to maintain their majority, while Democrats need 33 more seats to take control.

According to NBC News' race tracker, 20 key House districts have not yet called. The others are so far unlikely to be reversed.

The remaining elections include California's 47th District, Maine's 2nd District and Alaska's at-large district, where Republicans are hoping to pick up seats, as well as California's 45th District, one of the most expensive elections in the country.

“The path to taking back the majority now runs through narrow options for pickup,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said in a statement Wednesday. “It is not yet clear which party will have the majority in the House of Representatives in January 2025. We have to count every vote.”

House GOP members entered the 2024 contest with a historically narrow majority — 220 GOP seats to 212 Democrats, with three seats vacant.

The Democrats invested huge sums of money in the House elections and tried to change the lower house. They vastly outperformed their Republican rivals in many of the most competitive House races across the country.

Democratic House candidates in races classified as either “toss-up” or “neling,” according to the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, spent $132 million, while Republicans paid $61.6 million, according to documents filed with the Federal Election Commission in October.

The dominant party will ultimately determine the limits of power of the next Trump administration. A fully Republican-controlled House would likely give the president-elect a loose legislative leash, while a Democratic House would likely tighten it.

If the Republicans win, it would also mean Johnson would have a chance to extend his term. If not, it would likely mean a promotion for current House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, who is the favorite to become speaker in a Democratic victory.

Over the next two years, the House of Representatives will face important battles over government funding, tax levels, immigration and corporate regulation.

In September, Congress passed a temporary funding bill to avert a government shutdown that expires Dec. 20, setting off another budget fight just before the next president takes office in January. The prospect of divided government could further complicate this fight.

Also on the next congressional agenda is the possible extension of the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act of 2017, which is set to expire in 2025. Trump wants to make this law permanent and deepen some of the tax cuts.