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Who will win the House? Here are the best races to watch
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Who will win the House? Here are the best races to watch

Getty Images Chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives in the U.S. Capitol Getty Images

Which party will control the U.S. House of Representatives for the next two years is currently unknown.

This year, all 435 seats in the House of Congress were up for a vote, and it could be days before the final results are announced and we can see whether Republicans will maintain their slim majority. That would give the party control of Congress and the White House when President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in in January.

Democrats, meanwhile, are hoping that the final votes trickling in in a handful of tight races will be enough to give them a majority in the House of Representatives.

A party needs 218 seats to take power. As it stands on Wednesday, Republicans have 197 and Democrats have 188.

Here are some of the races that have yet to be called.

California: Democrats are hoping for five potential wins

Getty Images Republican Congresswoman Michelle SteelGetty Images

Democrats are closely watching five seats in California because they are crucial to winning back the House of Representatives.

The challengers hope to defeat the incumbent Republicans and turn the seats blue, but early polls show the incumbents retaining their seats by small margins.

The main races to watch are:

  • California’s 45th: Republican Congresswoman Michelle Steel, the incumbent, is currently leading against Democrat Derek Tran with 66% of the reported votes. She has a lead of 5 points.
  • California’s 27th: Democrat George Whitesides is challenging incumbent Republican Congressman Mike Garcia. With 67% of the votes counted, Garcia leads by a narrow margin of 2.4 points.
  • California’s 41st: Incumbent Republican Congressman Ken Calvert is running against Democrat Will Rollins. Calvert wins by a narrow margin of 1 point with 60% of the votes counted.
  • California’s 22nd: Democrat Rudy Salas is challenging incumbent Republican Congressman David Valadao, who currently leads by a 10-point margin. Just over 50% of the votes have been counted.
  • California’s 13th: Incumbent Republican Congressman John Duarte is running against Democrat Adam Gray. With 48% of the votes counted, Duarte leads by almost 3 points.

Arizona: 2 toss-up seats too close to call

Getty Images Republican Congressman Juan CiscomaniGetty Images

The two closely watched races in the state currently have margins of less than 2%.

Republican Juan Ciscomani currently leads his Democratic challenger, Kirsten Engel, by 1.5 points in Arizona’s 6th District, located in the southeastern corner of the state. About 60% of the votes have been counted.

In Arizona’s 1st District, David Schweikert has a 1.6-point lead over Democratic challenger Amish Shah with 62% of the votes counted.

Schweikert’s district covers northeastern Maricopa County, outside Phoenix.

Maine: Democrat looks to defend seat in toss-up race

Getty Images Democrat Congressman Jared Golden Getty Images

In Maine, incumbent Democratic Congressman Jared Golden is fighting to keep his seat, one of two congressional districts in the state.

Maine’s 2nd Congressional District includes most of the state north of Augusta and Portland.

Golden currently leads the race against his Republican challenger, Austin Theriault, by almost 4 points. About 77% of the votes have been counted.

Ohio: Democrat leads by less than one point

Getty Images Democratic Congresswoman Marcy KapturGetty Images

Democrats want to keep one seat in Ohio’s ninth congressional district, which includes Toledo in northern Ohio.

Incumbent Democratic Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, who has been in Congress since 1983, is leading in the race against her Republican challenger, Derek Merrin.

Kaptur has a small lead of 0.3 points. About 94% of the votes have been counted.