Republicans are gaining more key seats in the House of Representatives, while Democrats insist they still have a path to the majority

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican leaders expressed confidence Thursday that they will keep her Control of the US House of Representatives As more races were decided in their favor, Democrats insisted they still see a path to the majority and sought assurances Every vote is counted.

The GOP picked up two more hard-fought candidates Pennsylvania seatswhich became a bitter battleground of up-and-down Democratic defeats. The Democrats scored points another win in New Yorkdefeating a third Republican incumbent in the state.

Both parties in the House gathered privately in conference calls to assess the political landscape as Congress prepared to return next week a changed Washingtonwhere a surge of MAGA-infused GOP power is within reach for the president-elect Donald Trump.

“The latest data suggests that we will also maintain and likely expand our Republican majority in the House of Representatives.” Speaker Mike Johnson said in a letter to colleagues asking for their support in keeping the gavel.

But Democratic minority leader Hakeem Jeffries said “it has yet to be decided” which party will control the House of Representatives, as several key elections were not yet scheduled.

With their options limited, Democrats focused on flipping a handful of seats in Arizona. California and possibly Oregon to fill the gap.

“We have to count every vote,” Jeffries said.

A final tally in the House will almost certainly have to wait until next week at the earliest, as Congress is back in session and prepares to elect its new leaders, including nominees for House speaker and the senator who will replace the outgoing successor GOP Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

The election results exceeded what Republicans had hoped for, including a majority in the Senate, where two races were still undecided – in Arizona between Democrat Ruben Gallego and Republican Kari Lake and in Nevada between Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen and Republican Sam Brown.

The Associated Press called more races for Thursday. In Pennsylvania, Republican Ryan Mackenzie defeated incumbent Democratic Rep. Susan Wild in Allentown County and Republican Robert Bresnahan unseated Democratic Rep. Matt Cartwright in the northeastern part of the state.

The Pennsylvania Senate race between Senator Bob Casey and wealthy businessman Dave McCormick was decided in McCormick's favor, giving Republicans a 53rd seat in the chamber.

Democrats gained some ground in New York, where Laura Gillen defeated GOP incumbent Rep. Anthony D'Esposito, the third win for Democrats in Jeffries' home state.

Attention increasingly turned to the West, where Democrats waited to see what was left of their path to the majority.

To gain power, Democrats would have to win the most closely contested elections, including two in Arizona and several in California. However, the counting is expected to drag on as California, in particular, counts mail-in ballots that arrive the week after the election.

Republican Rep. Richard Hudson, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, told lawmakers in a private conversation that he was confident the GOP would retain the majority in the House, according to a Republican familiar with the call, but on condition spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to reveal details.

Trump is consolidating his power in Washington and returning to the White House with a force far more dominant than in his first term, when Republicans were divided over their support for him and some were openly skeptical, if not opposed, to his rise.

This time, Johnson and Senate GOP leaders did it moved closer to TrumpThey rely on his power for their purposes while pushing a common Republican agenda more aligned with his “Make America Great Again” priorities.

Johnson used a football metaphor in his letter to his colleagues to say he is “ready to get on the field with all of you” to play “the greatest offense of our lives.”

While Johnson is expected to remain Speaker of the House in the new Congress, the question is whether Republicans will retain control Who will replace McConnell?who led his party to take control of the Senate is an intense competition.

Republican senators are about to choose a new leader: “Johns” – the No. 2 Republican senator. John Thune and Texas Sen. John Cornyn — and an outsider, Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, who is favored by far-right Senate conservatives who want Trump to interfere in the race.

Cornyn and Thune, who both campaigned for Trump, are gaining support among senators in what is expected to be a tight race in private votes.

Thune has been working to mend a difficult relationship with Trump and the two spoke as recently as Wednesday, according to another Republican familiar with the private conversation who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss it.

The South Dakota senator criticized Trump after the 2020 election for stoking claims of fraudulent elections in advance January 6, 2021, Attack on the Capitol. Thune and Trump had been in contact throughout the year, the person said.

Thune has suggested that it would be best if Trump stayed out of the leadership race.

“It’s his prerogative to comment on it,” Thune said on Fox News. “Honestly, I think if he allows it, we’ll get the right person. I've had conversations with him and told him we want to put his team together so he can hit the ground running and work on an agenda to make sure he and our team are successful.”

Republicans are seeking quick action in line with Trump First day prioritieswhich involve cutting taxes, deporting immigrants without certain legal status in the country, and reducing federal regulations and policies.

But after the chaos of the past two years with Republicans controlling the House, it's unclear how much Republicans can accomplish, especially when they once again have a razor-thin majority in the face of opposition and few seats left for dissenting Democrats.

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Associated Press writers Kevin Freking, Stephen Groves, Farnoush Amiri and Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.