Democrats on pace to keep House, but several election races still close

Balloons and signs fill the fence between Black Lives Matter Plaza and Lafayette Park near the White House on Monday. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo

Nov. 6 (UPI) -- Democrats are on track to keep control of the House of Representatives, albeit with a smaller majority, updated vote tallies showed Friday.

With races still undecided in New York, California, Pennsylvania, Illinois and elsewhere, Democrats have so far secured at least 208 seats in the 117th Congress, according to updated projections from NBC News, CNN, ABC News and CBS News.

Either party would need 218 seats for a House majority.

The latest projections vary as to precisely how many seats Republicans have won, but are between 192 and 196. There are still nearly three dozen races nationwide that have yet to be called, but Democrats lead in enough of the contests that would put them over the threshold.

Democrats entered Election Night with a 232-198 majority and there were seven open seats. Republicans needed a net gain of 17 seats to gain control of the chamber.

Several key races in states like California, Nevada, New York and Virginia have yet to be decided.

Republican House candidates did especially well in South Florida, where the Latin vote swung heavily in their favor.

Republicans gained ground in the state as Maria Elvira Salazar defeated incumbent Democratic Rep. Donna Shalala in Florida's 27th District, which includes Miami, and former Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Giminez ousted Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, who flipped the seat for Democrats two years ago.

Rep. Cheri Bustos of Illinois, chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, voiced frustration at her party's poor showing and inaccurate polling during a Thursday call with House colleagues,

"I also want to say the thing we're all feeling: I'm furious. Something went wrong here across the entire political world," she said.

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