Control of the U.S. House of Representatives remains uncertain, with the majority still undecided between Republicans and Democrats as fewer than 20 races remain to be called.

On Monday, Republican David Schweikert was declared the winner of Arizona’s 1st Congressional District, defeating Democratic challenger and former state lawmaker Amish Shah. Schweikert’s election to his eighth term gives Republicans a 214-203 lead with 18 races remaining.

Republicans gained six seats in the 2024 election cycle and need four more to maintain control of the House of Representatives. Democrats flipped five seats but face a tough challenge.

Of the 18 undecided seats, 11 are considered “key” to control of the House of Representatives. Republicans currently lead in these crucial races, including Washington’s 4th District, which is guaranteed to go to a Republican with two GOP candidates competing.

Newsweek On Monday, they reached out to House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries via email for comment.

Democrats lead in 10 undecided races, but even if the party wins all 10, the total will be 213 seats — still five short of the needed majority.

There were 10 uncalled races in California on Monday afternoon. Counting the totals will take longer because the state allows ballots postmarked by Election Day until seven days later, Wednesday.

Mark Jones, a professor of political science at Rice University, explained Texas standard On Monday he expects the House to be convened at the end of this week.

“By the end of the week, we will finally know who will control the House,” Jones said. “But looking at the data now, it’s almost certain that Republicans will win.”

California’s slow process has previously been a source of frustration for Republicans in the House of Representatives. In 2022, it took over a week to declare a Republican majority in the House of Representatives. Former Speaker Paul Ryan described the state’s process as “bizarre” in 2018.

“We lost only 26 seats on election night, and three weeks later we lost virtually every race in California,” he said at the time.

The GOP retook the House in the 2022 midterm elections. Of the 435 voting seats, 220 were held by Republicans, while Democrats held 212 seats. There were three vacancies.

Control of the House of Representatives will likely have enormous consequences for newly-elected President Donald Trump’s agenda. The Republican Party took control of the Senate from Democrats in last week’s elections and is expected to have a 53-46 majority in the Senate next year.

Like the GOP controls the White House and both houses of Congress, the agenda will prioritize tax cuts, securing the United States-Mexico border, and dramatically reducing federal regulations.

In addition, Republicans are seeking to decentralize federal agencies from Washington and rebuild the government workforce with input from outside think tanks, as Johnson has indicated, to keep the federal government “on its heels.”

However, Johnson has struggled to effectively manage the House in his first year, and this challenge is expected to continue in the new Congress. Republican hardliners such as Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Matt Gaetz of Florida and others have often clashed with and disrupted their leadership, making this one of the most tumultuous sessions in recent history.