JUST IN: Final Race Called For U.S. House, Republican & Democrat Power Decided For President Trump’s Return

With ballot counting lasting an entire month, California’s 13th Congressional District has been called in favor of Democrat Adam Gray.

Gray has allegedly won the U.S. House seat by only 187 votes, defeating incumbent Republican John Duarte in the last Congressional race to be called.

This win, if it stands up to scrutiny, will give the Republicans a very narrow majority margin in the House.

That margin will be even smaller if all of President Trump’s Cabinet picks are confirmed, since two of his current picks hold seats in the House.

The fact that this single voting district took a full month to count a few hundred thousand votes, resulting in the narrowest of Democratic wins, makes this just another in a long list of election results ultimately going to the Democrat ticket after an exceedingly prolonged ballot count process.

Adam Gray (D) just flipped a House seat in California. The election was a month ago. Nothing to see here… pic.twitter.com/XKIWaxY3Fl

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) December 4, 2024

Republican Rep. John Duarte conceded to Gray earlier today according to CNN reporting.

The contest was the last unresolved House race in the country, and with Gray’s victory, Republicans won 220 seats to Democrats’ 215. Overall, Democrats gained one seat from their pre-election total.

The Republican majority is likely to be even tighter in the early part of next year – former GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida resigned from the House last month and won’t take his seat in the new Congress. Republican Reps. Elise Stefanik of New York and Mike Waltz of Florida are expected to leave the chamber to take positions in the Trump administration.

If all three seats are vacant at once, a 217-215 majority would mean that Republicans couldn’t afford to lose a single member on a party-line vote.

Adam Gray issued the following statement via his account on X when the Associated Press called the race in his favor last night.

Thank you #CA13! Let’s get to work. pic.twitter.com/FftFIUNkei

— Adam C. Gray (@AdamGrayCA) December 4, 2024

BREAKING: Democrat Adam Gray wins election to U.S. House in California's 13th Congressional District, beating incumbent John Duarte. #APRaceCall at 12:51 a.m. EST. https://t.co/FjgpZFcJ4E

— AP Politics (@AP_Politics) December 4, 2024

You know it’s bad when even CBS reporters sound surprised that the vote counting took as long as it did.

Nearly a month after Election Day, the final outstanding congressional race has been decided.

Democrat Adam Gray has been elected to represent California’s 13th House District by less than 200 votes. The GOP will maintain a slim majority in the House. pic.twitter.com/3rIZZF4XTj

— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) December 4, 2024

Only a few days ago there were reportedly 1,500 votes still in question, mostly with signature issues.

Ultimately, the official tally has Gray winning by under 200 votes according to Fox News.

Democrat Adam Gray has won California’s 13th Congressional District race by a mere 187 votes, defeating incumbent Republican Rep. John Duarte, according to The Associated Press.

California’s 13th Congressional District was the last seat to be called, with the district being one of the most competitive races in the Golden State. Republicans maintained the majority with 220 U.S. House seats, and Democrats at 215.

Gray was the ninth Democrat to flip a House seat in the 2024 election, while the GOP flipped eight seats – slipping the Republican majority. Three Republican members – Elise Stefanik, Michael Waltz and Matt Gaetz – were picked for the incoming Trump administration, though Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration, and it may take several months to fill those seats.

The race has been characterized as one of the tightest in the country. In 2022, Duarte narrowly defeated Gray by just 564 votes.

As has been pointed out countless time in the last few weeks, every race that ended up counting votes for multiple weeks ultimately went to a Democrat, as did the state races in states that have either lax or no voter ID requirements.

Adam Gray flips California’s 13th congressional district. We have lost every single race in CA that counted for 4 weeks after the election.

We now have a one seat majority in the House of Representatives.

When every Republican loses the longer it takes to count the vote, it… pic.twitter.com/sDb3AyKsA3

— Scott Adams (@scottadamsshow) December 4, 2024

President Trump, as expected, will have his work cut out for him considering such a small Republican majority when the 119th Congress convenes.

Republicans can afford to lose only two votes when passing legislation in the House, according to a report by NBC News.

Republicans will have a narrow majority in the House next year with Democrats flipping one final seat in California, leaving GOP leaders with even less margin for error as they try to advance President-elect Donald Trump’s agenda.

The GOP can lose just two votes on legislation in the House in the next Congress if Democrats all vote in opposition, giving them little wiggle room for absences, internal fighting and vacancies.

The slim GOP majority underscores the close fight for the House this year, with operatives in both parties acknowledging that the recent redistricting process narrowed the battlefield by creating fewer competitive races. Just over 40 seats — around 10% of the chamber — were decided by less than 5 percentage points, according to data from the NBC News Decision Desk.

That slim majority over the Democratic seats in Congress isn’t the only issue.

Adam Gray's win means Republicans have won 220 House seats this election cycle, with Democrats holding 215 seats. https://t.co/JVEx9g5kUe

— Newsweek (@Newsweek) December 4, 2024

With President Trump getting an early start naming his Cabinet picks and nominations for key administration roles, we’ve already had a glimpse at the impact the RINOs clinging to power are going to have when it comes to President Trump’s agenda.

Without a doubt, that short House majority will be a point of constant contention during President Trump’s next term.