Rep. Josh Harder, D-Calif., has been officially projected as the winner in 9th Congressional District, setting the latest House Republican majority tally at 219-212 with four races remaining too close to call.
Republican challenger Kevin Lincoln fell about 8,000 votes short in the mass mail-in balloting state of California, losing to Harder (51.8%) by nearly 4 percentage points.
The House GOP has retained the majority with at least 219 seats to 212 for Democrats with four races remaining too close to call. Republicans lead three of those remaining races, including the Alaska at-large seat held by Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska.
Outside of Alaska's ranked-choice voting system put in place with an assist from moderate Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, California still has three seats left to be determined, including Districts 13, 21, and 45. Republicans lead in Districts 13 and 45.
Rep. John Duarte, R-Calif. (13), and Rep. Jim Costa, D-Calif. (21), are close to being called as reelected with leads that could make their races decided soon.
Rep. Michelle Steel, R-Calif. (45), is down to just a 300-vote difference in a potential seat flip for Democrats.
Alaska remains headed to ranked-choice Nov. 20 decision, with Republican Nick Begich at 49.1% and needing a 50% majority to avoid going to the second round in the ranked-choice voting process – where the eliminated candidates' voters will give their second- and third-choice votes to either Peltola or Begich in the final round.
Republicans have been critical of ranked-choice voting, because its structure is designed to vote against a candidate as much as for someone. That permits Democrats in a traditionally Republican-heavy state of Alaska to stack up candidates who can help voters ultimately vote against a GOP front-runner outside their second and third choices.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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