Grand Old Party controls House after slim majority

WASHINGTON: In one of the few bright spots for the party in the elections, the Republicans have finally taken control of the US House of Representatives with a slim majority, days after Democrats retained control of the Senate.

The US heads to a divided Congress from January, with the Grand Old Party (GOP) finally squeezing past the majority mark, winning 218 of the 435 seats in the House on Wednesday.

The party’s tally is projected to go up to 222 seats. Democrats have won 211 seats so far and could go up to 213.

In the last House, Democrats had a slim majority.

Kevin Mccarthy, Republican representative from California and previously the House minority leader, has won internal party elections and will be the new Speaker of the House. In the Senate, veteran Republican leader from

Kentucky, Mitch Mcconnell, will remain the minority leader. Both leaders faced a leadership challenge from the farright end of the party, in a sign of the competing pressures that Republicans will have to manage in the Congress.

President Joe Biden has congratulated Mccarthy, expressed his willingness to work with Republicans, but also reiterated the redlines for his administration and warned against a return to “political warfare”.

Mccarthy said, “It is official. One party Democratic rule in Washington is finished. We have fired Nancy Pelosi.”

Mccarthy’s reference was to the fact that Democrats, from January 2021, have had control over the White House, Senate and the House, with Pelosi serving as the House Speaker.

Pelosi to step down from House leadership

US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the first woman to hold that influential post, said on Thursday she will step down as the Democratic leader in the chamber a day after Republicans secured a narrow majority.

Pelosi, an 82-year-old liberal from California who has served two stints as Speaker, said she will remain in Congress, representing San Francisco in the House as she has done for 35 years.

Representative Hakeem Jeffries of New York may seek to take her place as the top Democrat in the House.

With inputs from Reuters