Trump and his party want to further expand power in Washington: From the Politics Desk

Welcome to the online version of From the political editorial teaman evening newsletter bringing you the NBC News Politics team's latest reporting and analysis from the campaign trail, the White House and Capitol Hill.

In today's edition, we examine how Republicans plan to maintain their current majority in the House of Representatives and expand their newly won majority in the Senate following Donald Trump's victory. Kamala Harris also acknowledges and promises a peaceful transition of power.

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The dispute over the House of Representatives is taking center stage as Trump's party seeks full control of Washington

By Scott Wong, Sahil Kapur and Kyle Stewart

Republicans have regained control of the White House and Senate. Now all eyes are on the House of Representatives, which Democrats see as their last line of defense to stop President-elect Donald Trump and his agenda.

The fight for the majority involves enormous risks.

Will Trump exercise a Republican trifecta that will be expected to support his agenda and demands? Or will he face a Democrat-led House that would serve as a check on his legislative agenda and exercise subpoena power to investigate his administration?

Because many races have not yet been contested, NBC News has not yet predicted which party will control the House of Representatives in 2025. But given Trump's decisive victory over Vice President Kamala Harris, House Republicans are optimistic about their chances of retaining their narrow majority.

In a statement from West Palm Beach, Florida, where he spent time with Trump and his team, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., predicted that he and his party would remain in power in the House.

“House Republicans managed to achieve key turning points in swing states like Pennsylvania and Michigan, while our battle-hardened incumbents secured re-election from coast to coast,” Johnson said in the statement. “The latest data and trends indicate that after all votes were tallied, Republicans maintained our majority despite being on a map with 18 seats won by Biden.”

Democrats in Congress have been relatively quiet in coming to terms with Trump's stunning victory, but are not throwing in the towel. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., expressed optimism Wednesday afternoon, pointing to several bright spots. He said Democrats held open seats in Virginia and Michigan, won victories in Alabama and Louisiana due to redistricting and were targeting four GOP seats in New York.

The “House of Representatives remains very much in play,” Jeffries said in a statement. “The path to reclaiming the majority now leads through narrow pickup opportunities in Arizona, Oregon and Iowa – along with several Democratic-leaning districts in Southern California and the Central Valley.” It is not yet clear which party will have the majority in the House of Representatives in January 2025 . We have to count every vote.”

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Meanwhile, on the other side of the Capitol, the question is whether the GOP can further expand its newly won majority in the upper house.

Republican Tim Sheehy defeated Democratic Sen. Jon Tester in Montana, NBC News predicted Wednesday morning, giving the GOP 52 seats in the Senate.

But Democrats managed to retain two seats in the battleground states that Trump held at the presidential level. NBC News also predicted Wednesday that Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin in Wisconsin fended off a challenge from Republican Eric Hovde, while in Michigan, Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin defeated former Republican Rep. Mike Rogers.

That leaves three key Senate elections that are not scheduled as of late Wednesday afternoon. In Arizona, Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego is ahead of Republican Kari Lake in the vote count, but the race is too early to decide. And the races in Nevada between Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen and Republican Sam Brown and in Pennsylvania between Democratic Sen. Bob Casey and GOP challenger Dave McCormick are too close to call.

NBC News has not yet reported on the presidential elections in Arizona and Nevada and is predicting that Trump will win Pennsylvania.

Read more about the uncalled races here →

Harris admits to an emotional crowd at her alma mater

By Natasha Korecki

Vice President Kamala Harris tried to assuage disappointment and offer words of encouragement to hundreds of supporters as she conceded the presidential election on Wednesday, while some of her supporters wiped tears from their eyes during her speech.

“The outcome of this election is not what we wanted, not what we fought for, not what we voted for, but listen to me when I say… the light of America's promise will always burn bright,” Harris told her alma mater Howard University.

Harris offered to console Democrats over the loss to former President Donald Trump, acknowledging that they are “feeling and experiencing a range of emotions right now.”

However, she stressed that Democrats must accept the election results to preserve democracy. When Harris conceded the race on Wednesday, he did something Trump never did.

“Today I spoke with President-elect Trump and congratulated him on his victory. “I also told him that we will help him and his team with their transition and that we will engage in a peaceful transfer of power,” she said, drawing cheers from the crowd.

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That’s all from the Politics Desk for now. If you have any feedback – likes or dislikes – email us at [email protected]

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