The race to control the House is undecided, although Republicans are showing early optimism about securing a governing trifecta with their new Senate majority and newly elected President Donald Trump.

“As more results come in, it is clear that, as we have predicted all along, Republicans are on the cusp of having a unified government in the White House, Senate and House of Representatives,” said Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a statement on Wednesday.

That early confidence comes as Republicans still need to win 12 seats to maintain their majority, while Democrats need another 33 to take control.

Twenty key House districts remain unused, according to NBC News’ race tracker. So far, it’s unlikely the others will be turned around.

The remaining races include California’s 47th Congressional District, Maine’s 2nd and Alaska’s at-large district, where Republicans are looking to gain seats, along with California’s 45th Congress, one of the most expensive races in the country.

“The path to regaining the majority now runs through ‘too close to call pick-up’ options,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement Wednesday. “Which party in January The majority in the House of Representatives by 2025 has yet to be determined. We must count every vote.”

Republican members of the House of Representatives participated in the 2024 elections with a historically narrow majority: 220 Republican seats compared to the Democrats’ 212 with three vacancies.

The Democrats poured huge sums of money into the House of Representatives elections in an attempt to overthrow the House of Representatives. They have vastly outspent their Republican rivals in many of the most competitive House races across the country.

Democratic House candidates in races rated “toss-up” or “leaning” by the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter spent $132 million, compared to Republicans’ $61.6 million, according to the October filings with the Federal Election Commission.

The ruling party will ultimately dictate the limits of the next Trump administration’s power. An all-Republican-controlled House would likely provide the president-elect with loose legislative leverage, while a Democratic House would likely tighten it.

If the Republicans win, it would also mean that Johnson would have the opportunity to extend his term. If not, it would likely mean a promotion for the current House minority leader, Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the favorite to become speaker in a Democratic win.

Over the next two years, the House of Representatives will face significant battles on government financing, tax levels, immigration and business regulation.

In September, Congress passed a temporary funding bill to prevent a government shutdown that expires on December 20, setting up a new budget battle just before the next president takes office in January. The prospect of a divided government could further complicate that fight.

Also on the agenda for the next Congress is the possible expansion of the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act of 2017, which is set to expire in 2025. Trump wants to make that law permanent and deepen a number of tax cuts.