House of Representatives goes under Republican control

Republicans won a majority in the House of Representatives, giving the party back power in Washington and giving conservatives the leverage to stall President Joe Biden’s agenda and initiate a series of investigations.

A slim majority, however, would create immediate challenges for Republican leaders and limit the party’s ability to govern.

On Wednesday night, Congressman Mike Garcia, a former Air Force fighter pilot, defeated Democrat Christy Smith. That secured the Republicans the 218th seat needed to transfer control of the 435-seat House from Democrats to Republicans.

The final balance of power will not be known until a few days from now, when the vote count in the remaining districts is completed.

But from all indications, Republicans will win their smallest majority since the beginning of the 21st century.

This is a far cry from the landslide victory Republicans predicted on the eve of this midterm election, when the party hoped to reset the agenda on Capitol Hill by taking advantage of economic problems and Biden’s declining popularity.

The results could complicate Republican leader Kevin McCarthy’s plans to become speaker of the House, as some conservative lawmakers question whether to support him or condition their support.

McCarthy marked the “official change of control” over the House with a message on Twitter, writing, “Americans are ready for a new direction, and Republicans in the House of Representatives are ready to deliver on their promises.”

Biden congratulated McCarthy, saying he was “ready to work with Republicans in the House for results for working families.”

“Last week’s election showed the strength and resilience of American democracy. Election denial, political violence and intimidation were firmly rejected,” Biden said. – A strong statement was made that the will of the people prevails in America.”

“The future is too promising to be trapped in a political war,” he added.

The slim majority won in the election has radically changed Republican politics and led to a search for those responsible for things not going as expected.

Some in the party are pointing the finger at Donald Trump. The former president, who announced Tuesday that he will run for the White House nomination for the third time, has helped some candidates in this year’s Republican primary, but many of them have struggled in the general election.

Despite the modest results, the party will still gain notable power.

Republicans will gain control of key committees, giving them the ability to shape legislation and initiate investigations into Biden, his family and his administration.

Of particular interest is the investigation into the foreign business dealings of the president’s son, Hunter Biden.

Some of the most conservative lawmakers have raised the possibility of impeaching Biden, although it would be quite difficult for the party to achieve this given the slim majority.