Trump’s grip on Washington at stake as the parties battle for House control

The House of Representatives is up for grabs Tuesday as Democrats try to wrest control from Republicans, who have enjoyed power in the chamber for the past four years but are facing formidable political headwinds. The outcome will set the tone and sway the direction of the final two years of President Donald Trump’s tenure in the White House, with Democrats vowing to aggressively investigate his administration if they win control of the House. And while Republicans were able to advance signature Trump priorities on party-line votes over the last two years, Democrats would have a say in any major congressional action if the House flips. Democrats must flip a net of three seats to win the 218 needed for a majority. Republicans attempted to give themselves some cushion by redrawing congressional maps around the country over the past year and a half. Follow live election coverage here. But historical trends are working against them, as the president’s party typically loses seats in a midterm year. And polls leading up to Election Day showed deep voter dissatisfaction with Trump overall and across a range of issues, most notably his handling of the economy and the cost of living amid the Iran war and the administration’s tariff agenda. While House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who could become the first Black speaker if Democrats win control of the chamber, has tried to tamp down expectations of a blue wave, he has predicted his party will emerge from the election with a majority. “I also refer to Nov. 3 not simply as Election Day, but as judgment day,” Jeffries said at a weekend campaign rally for former Rep. Elaine Luria, who is trying to win back her old seat from GOP Rep. Jen Kiggans in Virginia. “The American people are going to judge these MAGA extremists and run them out of town for what they’ve done to our economy, to our military, to our families, our farmers and to the American people all across the country.” Still, Democrats have had to navigate challenging terrain in an unpredictable election cycle. In addition to Republicans’ mid-decade redistricting efforts, which Democrats were able to partially counter with a redrawn map in California, many of the seats Democrats are targeting are in districts that Trump won in 2024. After those redistricting changes, just eight Republicans represent districts that then-Vice President Kamala Harris carried two years ago, while 21 Democrats sit in seats in districts that Trump won. Yet, in the closing stretch of the campaign, top Republican outside groups threw in the towel on a handful of once-competitive races. FOR SUBSCRIBERSDOJ is deploying a record number of monitors on Election Day FOR SUBSCRIBERSHow NBC News has prepared to cover election night FOR SUBSCRIBERSWelcome to the gas price election FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe fight for young men comes to Michigan FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump holds final rally of a 28-stop midterm blitz FOR SUBSCRIBERSDOJ is deploying a record number of monitors on Election Day FOR SUBSCRIBERSHow NBC News has prepared to cover election night FOR SUBSCRIBERSWelcome to the gas price election FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe fight for young men comes to Michigan FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump holds final rally of a 28-stop midterm blitz In mid-October, Republicans nixed millions of dollars in ad reservations meant to support vulnerable Reps. Tom Kean Jr., R-N.J., and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, who represent battleground districts that Trump carried in 2024. Instead, they shifted the money to other races. GOP groups also slashed hundreds of thousands of dollars in ads last month from Nebraska’s 2nd District, which Harris carried two years ago. Moderate Republican Rep. Don Bacon represents the district but announced his retirement, making it difficult for the GOP to hold the seat. Down the home stretch, Jeffries criss-crossed the country, stumping with candidates in California, Texas, Florida, Ohio, Michigan, New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., trying to protect his paper-thin majority, campaigned in many of the same battleground districts. The speaker, a close Trump ally, warned that a Democratic victory would lead to nonstop investigations and a rollback of key pieces of the signature piece of legislation the Republicans passed during the first two years of Trump’s second term, the “big beautiful bill.” “If this crazy group of Marxist Democrats took over, you can kiss your freedom goodbye. … They would spend every waking hour for the next two years investigating the president, the Cabinet, leaders in business and industry. It would be retribution,” Johnson said at a campaign event for Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., one of the cycle’s most vulnerable Republicans who represents a Harris-won district. “We cannot go down that road,” Johnson added. [Image text:] 90900 .. 88