/ CBS News
GOP to vote on Senate leader Wednesday
Washington — It’s one week after Election Day 2024, and while control of the White House and the Senate have been decided, in a handful of races for the U.S. House of Representatives, the results are still outstanding, and their outcomes will determine Republicans’ margins in the lower chamber.
With President-elect Donald Trump’s victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race and Republicans poised to control at least 52 seats in the Senate, the GOP is heading toward full control of Washington. CBS News characterizes control of the House as lean Republican, with the party now just three seats shy of the 218 needed to win the majority.
Most of the undecided House races are in California, where state law requires mail ballots to be postmarked by Election Day and received by county elections offices up to seven days after the election, so many are still being counted.
As votes continue to be tallied in seven states where the winners of congressional races have not yet been projected, Congress has returned to Washington for the first time in weeks, and Republicans are moving forward with leadership elections. House Speaker Mike Johnson and Majority Leader Steve Scalise are expected to maintain their positions atop the Republican conference, but Trump’s selection of conference chair Rep. Elise Stefanik for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations has created an open seat in GOP leadership.
Here are the outstanding House races as of Tuesday, Nov. 12:
Alaska at-large
Republican Nick Begich leads incumbent Rep. Mary Peltola, a Democrat, by more than 10,000 votes, with 71% of the estimated vote total reported.
If Begich defeats Peltola, it would be a GOP pick-up in the House. Alaska uses ranked-choice voting, so voters select multiple candidates and rank them in order of preference.
Unless a candidate earns more than 50% of the first-choice vote, the one with the fewest first-choice votes will be eliminated, and voters’ second picks are reallocated to the remaining candidates. In the third round, the candidate who receives the next fewest votes is eliminated and their votes reallocated to the remaining contenders. The process continues until a candidate reaches 50%.
Arizona’s 6th Congressional District
Incumbent Rep. Juan Ciscomani, a Republican, is leading Democratic opponent Kirsten Engel by 4,900 votes, with 86% of votes in. CBS News estimates the race is a toss-up.
California’s 9th Congressional District
CBS News characterizes the race as lean Democrat, with incumbent Rep. Josh Harder, a Democrat, ahead of his Republican opponent Kevin Lincoln by more than 7,000 votes, with 71% of the estimated vote total reported so far.
California’s 13th Congressional District
Freshman GOP Rep. John Duarte leads Democratic challenger Adam Gray by nearly 3,000 votes, with 57% of votes in.
The two faced off in 2022, when Gray lost by less than 600 votes.
California’s 21st Congressional District
CBS News characterizes the race between Rep. Jim Costa, the Democrat incumbent, and Republican Michael Maher as lean Costa. The congressman leads by just over 1,300 votes, and 64% of the estimated vote total has been reported so far.
California’s 41st Congressional District
CBS News characterizes the race as lean Republican incumbent Rep. Ken Calvert, who has served in the House for more than 30 years. Calvert leads his Democratic opponent, Will Rollins, by more than 7,500 votes, with 81% of the estimated vote total reported so far.
California’s 45th Congressional District
In this race between GOP incumbent Rep. Michelle Steel and Democrat Derek Tran, Steel is ahead by 3,900 votes with 84% of the vote in. CBS News characterizes the race as a toss-up. Steel is in her second term in the House and is one of the first Korean-American women to serve in Congress.
California’s 47th Congressional District
Democratic Rep. Katie Porter currently holds this seat, but her unsuccessful bid for the Senate set up a race between Democrat David Min and Republican Scott Baugh to succeed her.
CBS News characterizes the race as lean Min, meaning it’s likely to stay in Democrats’ hands. With 84% of the estimated vote total reported, Min is ahead by more than 3,200 votes.
Iowa’s 1st Congressional District
The race between Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Democrat Christina Bohannan is a rematch of the 2022 contest. The 2024 election is shaping up to be close, with Miller-Meeks currently leading by 796 votes in this race that CBS News characterizes as a toss-up.
Maine’s 2nd Congressional District
Democratic Rep. Jared Golden is facing Republican Austin Theriault in a district that supported Trump in 2016 and 2020. The Democratic incumbent is ahead by more than 2,100 votes, with 99% of votes in, and CBS News characterizes the race as leaning Golden.
Maine, like Alaska, uses ranked-choice voting, and because neither candidate secured at least 50% of the vote, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows announced it will be decided by a ranked-choice runoff. The second round of tabulation is starting this week in Augusta, the state capital, she said.
Ohio’s 9th Congressional District
Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur is working to keep control of her seat in the race against Republican challenger Derek Merrin. CBS News characterizes the race as a toss-up. Kaptur is leading Merrin by more than 1,100 votes, with 94% of the estimated vote total reported.
Oregon’s 5th Congressional District
Republican incumbent Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who is in her first term, is facing off against Democrat Janelle Bynum, who is currently ahead by more than 10,000 votes. CBS News characterizes the race as leaning Bynum, and 88% of the estimated vote total has been reported.
Caitlin Yilek contributed to this report.
Melissa Quinn is a politics reporter for CBSNews.com. She has written for outlets including the Washington Examiner, Daily Signal and Alexandria Times. Melissa covers U.S. politics, with a focus on the Supreme Court and federal courts.
