Democrats flip House seat, leaving GOP no votes to spare

Democrat Adam Gray won the U.S. House contest in California's 13th District on Tuesday night, ousting GOP Rep. John Duarte in what is likely the closest House race in 2024.

Gray defeated Duarte by 187 votes as of Wednesday morning, though that margin is not yet certified. A recount, if ordered, is very unlikely to overturn Gray’s election.

With Gray's victory now called, the final breakdown of the 119th Congress will be 220 Republican seats to 215 Democratic ones, the smallest majority in more than a century. The final margin means Democrats netted one seat in the 2024 elections despite the fact that Donald Trump won. 

However, Republicans' margin in the House will be even slimmer than that for the first few months of 2025. That’s because Trump selected two GOP House members—Reps. Elise Stefanik of New York and Mike Waltz of Florida—for his administration. Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida also announced he would not be taking the oath of office for the northern Florida House seat he won, likely to avoid the release of a damning House Ethics Committee report on his alleged sex trafficking. 

That will leave Republicans with a 217-215 majority until special elections can be held in the spring.