Republicans on Wednesday won back control of the U.S. House following a tense midterm election. The GOP landed the 218 seats required to gain the majority, delivering a crippling blow to President Biden’s one-party control on Capitol Hill.
“The era of one-party Democrat rule in Washington is over,” Representative Kevin McCarthy, the House Republican leader, said on Capitol Hill. “Washington now has a check and balance.”
The victory means that many of the Democrat’s more progressive measures will struggle to garner the votes needed.
“In this election, voters spoke clearly about their concerns: the need to lower costs, protect the right to choose, and preserve our democracy,” Biden said in a statement following the win. “I will work with anyone — Republican or Democrat — willing to work with me to deliver results for them.”
Despite the win, Republicans are on track for the trimmest of majorities despite pre-election predictions of a ‘red wave.’ Gen Z has been credited with thwarting the GOP’s predictions, coming out in record numbers to vote for Democrats. According to exit polls, 72% of women aged 18-29 voted for Democrat candidates. However, Democrats lost voters aged 45 and older by at least seven points, leaping to a 12-point loss among people over 65.
White women, older women and married women, Southern women, rural women and middle- to upper-income women came out in droves to vote Republican.
“House Republicans delivered on our promise to fire Nancy Pelosi and serve as a check on Joe Biden’s disastrous agenda,” said Representative Tom Emmer, the chairman of the House Republican campaign arm for this midterm cycle. “Now let’s get to work for the American people.”
