BALANCE OF POWER: Dozens of House races and a couple of Senate races remain unresolved as Democrats look to pad their congressional majorities leading up to the transfer of power on Jan. 3.
Democrats have secured 234 seats, well above the 218-seat majority threshold, and lead by 28 more, many of which are deep in Trump country. It’s not hyperbole to suggest their current ceiling is above 260.
The party has already flipped seven Senate seats for a 54-seat majority, three above the 51 seats required. Scott Colom and former Rep. Mary Peltola lead in Mississippi and Alaska, so Democrats could win up to 56 seats once it’s all said and done. At noon, Peltola was up by 626 votes with an estimated 74% counted. Alaska’s ranked-choice system could require additional tabulation if no one receives a majority of first-choice votes. Colom led the Republican incumbent by only a few dozen votes at noon. Mississippi has no automatic recount process, although a candidate can seek a court-ordered recount.
Democrats were expected to perform well last night, but it’s stunning that more than a dozen Republican incumbents had lost reelection, compared with none of their Democratic counterparts. Democrats Democrats gained ground across states that redrew their congressional maps, despite changes that appeared to favor Republicans based on 2024 presidential results. And as I’ve noted, the sizable majority will give House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) more room to manage disagreements among progressives, New Democrats and Blue Dogs on spending, immigration and other consequential legislation.
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THE TRANSITION: With Democrats securing unified congressional control, members in both chambers have turned to outlining a governing agenda.
The speakership: Jeffries formally announced his candidacy Wednesday to become the nation’s first Black House speaker, laying out an agenda centered on affordability, accountability and American values.
In a Dear Colleague letter to incoming members, Jeffries pledged to give every Democrat a meaningful role in the new majority and move immediately to address the cost of living.
His first-100-day priorities include reversing Medicaid cuts, restoring SNAP funding, extending Affordable Care Act tax credits, eliminating Trump tariffs and ending the war in Iran. He also promised aggressive oversight of the Trump administration, Supreme Court reforms and a ban on congressional stock trading.
“We must now deliver the dramatic change the American people are demanding in the majority,” Jeffries wrote.