Final House Update: GOP 220, Democrats 215

And now the last undecided race for the House of Representatives has been called with Democrat Adam Gray flipping the seat held by Republican Rep. John Duarte in California's 13th District.

And so as predicted earlier, the GOP has 220 seats to 215 for the Democrats. That tally includes the seat won in Florida's 1st District by Matt Gaetz, who has resigned from the current Congress.

Democrats needed to gain four seats to get a House majority. The Democrats flipped nine seats, while the Republicans flipped eight.

Results from the California Secretary of State showed Gray, a former state Assembly member, leading Duarte by 187 votes.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Gray wrote:

“The final results confirm this district is ready for independent and accountable leadership that always puts the valley’s people ahead of partisan politics.

"But the work has just begun. In Washington, I’ll work everyday to deliver the resources that the Valley needs: clean water, better educational opportunities, stronger infrastructure, and more good-paying jobs. And you can count on me to build bipartisan relationships to accomplish these goals." 

Duarte, whose family owns a large farm in the San Joaquin Valley, conceded the race in a phone call to Gray on Tuesday, the Turlock Journal reported.

“That’s how it goes,” said Duarte. “I’m a citizen legislator, and I didn’t plan on being in Congress forever. But whenever I think I can make a difference, I’ll consider public service in different forms, including running for Congress again.”

Gray told the newspaper:

As divided as people suggest the country is, I think we all have a lot more in common than we’re given credit for. People do want change, but the change they want is for Congress to get back to solving problems. … They don’t want people yelling and screaming at each other. That’s not the kind of leadership people want. They want a government that works for them.”

Gray trailed in the first three weeks of vote-counting, but took the lead on Nov. 26 as mail ballots trended in his favor.

The Los Angeles Times wrote that "Gray cast himself as a `radical centrist,'" who had shown that in his decade in the state Assembly, he could work across party lines. He told the Times that he sought a rematch against Duarte because he thought the incumbent and Republicans had done little in congress to help everyday Americans. Duarte pitched himself as "a moderate Republican" who "bucked his party on abortion and immigration."

When the new Congress convenes in January, the House GOP caucus will be down to 219 seats because Gaetz has said he doesn't intend to claim the seat he won in November in Florida's 1st district. Gaetz was nominated by President-elect Donald Trump for the post of attorney general, but withdrew his bid as he came under scrutiny for sexual misconduct allegations, including accusations that he had sex with a minor. He has denied the allegations.

Trump tapped two other House Republicans for positions in his administration.

Rep. Michael Waltz, who represents Florida's 6th District, will become National Security Adviser after Trump takes office on Jan. 20. His position does not require Senate confirmation.

New York Rep. Elisse Stefanik (21st District) will be taking up the post of U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations once she receives Senate confirmation.

Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd has set the dates for special elections to fill the seats in Florida's 1st and 6th districts. The special primary election will be held on Jan. 28 and the special general election on April 1.

In New York, special elections to fill a House seat typically happen about three months after the resignation, the Utica Observer-Dispatch reported.

All three seats are in heavily Republican districts.

So in the first months of the Trump administration, the House GOP could be operating with a 217 to 215 majority – and we've already seen how dysfunctional and fractious the House GOP caucus can be.