Democrats Expand House Majority to 253 Seats With Flips in N. Carolina, Arizona, Ohio & Virginia/ NEWSLOOKS/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Democrats expanded their incoming House majority with additional victories in North Carolina, Arizona, Virginia, Ohio and Montana. Three North Carolina Republicans lost their seats despite a redistricting plan designed to strengthen the GOP’s advantage. The results deepen Republican losses as Democrats prepare their leadership team for the next Congress. Till now the Democrats picked 253 seats, the party’s largest majority in nearly two decades. The Republicans got 155 House seats, with 29 seats still undecided. In the SenateDemocrats got 54 seats and GOP 44 ones, two contests have yet to be called: Mississippi and Alaska.
Amish Shah poses for a portrait in Phoenix, on July 16.
Quick Look
- North Carolina flips: Cyril Jefferson, Paul Barringer and Lakesha Womack defeated Republican incumbents.
- Davis holds: Democratic Rep. Don Davis won reelection in the redrawn 1st District.
- Map reversal: Democrats have won eight of North Carolina’s 14 seats, with two additional victories still possible.
- Arizona pickup truck: Physician Amish Shah defeated Republican Jay Feely in the open 1st District.
- Virginia flip: Shannon Taylor defeated longtime Republican Rep. Rob Wittman.
- Montana breakthrough: Sam Forstag won a district Trump carried by nearly 12 points in 2024.
- Republican holds: Several GOP incumbents survived in districts where their margins were narrower than expected.
- Leadership bid: Rep. Joe Neguse announced his candidacy for assistant speaker.
Deep Look
Democrats Add Seats to Their Incoming House Majority
Democrats extended their midterm gains Thursday with additional House victories across North Carolina, Arizona, Virginia and Montana, strengthening the majority they had already secured to 250 seats.
The latest results reinforced the scale of the Republican defeat amid voter dissatisfaction with high prices and the continuing war in Iran.
North Carolina delivered a particularly significant setback for Republicans, whose redistricting effort had sought to give the party an advantage in most of the state’s congressional seats.
Three North Carolina Republicans Lose Reelection
Democrats Cyril Jefferson, Paul Barringer and Lakesha Womack defeated Republican Reps. Addison McDowell, Brad Knott and Tim Moore, respectively.
Democratic Rep. Don Davis also won another term, defeating Republican Laurie Buckhout in the redrawn 1st District.
Those victories brought Democrats to eight House seats in North Carolina, with the possibility of winning two more.
The results contrasted sharply with the intended effect of the October 2025 congressional map, which favored Republicans in 11 of the state’s 14 districts.
Davis’ district included territory Trump carried by more than 11 percentage points in 2024. At the time of the report, Davis led by approximately 10,000 votes, with about 1% remaining to be counted.
Amish Shah Captures Arizona’s Open 1st District
The suburban Phoenix district had long been a Democratic target after being represented in recent years by Republican David Schweikert.
Shah’s victory added another pickup to Democrats’ expanding House majority.
Shannon Taylor Flips Longtime Republican Seat in Virginia
Democratic prosecutor Shannon Taylor defeated Republican Rep. Rob Wittman in Virginia.
Wittman had represented the district since 2007, making the result a notable reversal in a seat Republicans had held for nearly two decades.
Elsewhere in Virginia, Republican Rep. John McGuire retained his seat, though the report described his margin as narrower than expected.
Montana Elects Democrat Sam Forstag
Sam Forstag, a former smokejumper, won a Montana House seat in a district Trump carried by nearly 12 percentage points two years earlier.
His victory made him the first Democrat to win a congressional seat in the state in decades.
The result further illustrated Democrats’ ability this cycle to compete beyond traditional battleground districts.
Democrat Kristina Knickerbocker will oust GOP Rep. Michael Turner in Ohio,
Kristina Knickerbocker conducts a roundtable on child care costs with working parents at the Dayton Metro Library in Dayton, Ohio, on October 21.Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call/Getty Images
Democrat Kristina Knickerbocker will defeat Rep. Michael Turner in Ohio’s 10th Congressional District, CNN’s Decision Desk projects, flipping a seat the Republican incumbent won by over 18 points in 2024.
In an upset victory for Democrats, Knickerbocker will oust the 12-term congressman after 2025 redistricting that was expected to favor Republicans.
Republicans Preserve Some Seats With Narrower Wins
Republicans held several districts despite the broader Democratic wave.
On New York’s Long Island, Reps. Andrew Garbarino and Nick LaLota secured reelection.
Republican Reps. French Hill of Arkansas, Matt Van Epps of Tennessee, John McGuire of Virginia and Blake Moore of Utah also won.
Their victories limited Democratic gains, but the smaller-than-expected margins reflected the difficult environment facing Republican candidates.
Neguse Seeks Assistant Speaker Position
As Democrats prepare to take control of the House in January, Colorado Rep. Joe Neguse announced a bid for assistant speaker in a letter to colleagues Thursday.
“If elected Assistant Speaker, my goals would be straight-forward — to prioritize direct member services for every member of our diverse and talented caucus, and to assist Speaker Jeffries and our incredible Democratic Leadership team,” Neguse wrote.
Neguse currently serves as assistant minority leader and was running unopposed at the time of the report.
His reference to “Speaker Jeffries” anticipates Hakeem Jeffries’ expected election to the position. The full House must formally choose its speaker when the new Congress convenes.
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