Democrats win House control as the final seat count takes shape

Archive photograph: The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Photo: Toni Smith/USGS, public domain.

AP has declared Democratic control. Decision Desk HQ’s running party tally stands at 241 Democratic seats and 149 Republican seats, with 45 unassigned.

Results checked at 8:42 a.m. Eastern, November 4, 2026. News projections and declarations, not certified results.

Democrats have won control of the U.S. House for the next Congress, according to the Associated Press, while Decision Desk HQ also projects a Democratic majority. Counting continues in races that will determine the size of the party’s advantage.

At 8:42 a.m. Eastern on November 4, DDHQ’s displayed national party tally stood at 241 Democratic seats and 149 Republican seats. That left 45 of the chamber’s 435 voting seats unassigned in its tally.

The Democratic total is above the 218 seats needed for a majority in a full House. AP’s declaration of House control, following its Senate call, puts Democrats in line to lead both chambers of the next Congress.

DDHQ’s board marked 32 seats as Democratic flips and two as Republican flips. Its Democratic gains included North Carolina’s 11th District; Pennsylvania’s 7th, 8th and 10th districts; Arizona’s 6th; and Colorado’s 8th.

Among the races still awaiting a DDHQ candidate call in this snapshot were Alaska’s at-large seat, Arizona’s 2nd District, Colorado’s 3rd, Maine’s 2nd and Michigan’s 4th. Those examples are not a complete list of outstanding contests.

The running party tally is different from a list of named candidate winners. In a contest between candidates of the same party, the party can be settled before an individual winner is declared.

This report uses DDHQ’s displayed party totals rather than its separate Pulse forecast. A candidate’s lead in reported votes is not itself a victory. The figures remain subject to additional race calls and are separate from the results election authorities will certify. Sources: Decision Desk HQ House results; AP national election report; AP explanation of its control calls.