House Democrats Surpass 250 Seats After Midterms

Democrats continued to pick up seats in the House of Representatives on Thursday, reaching their highest total since 2009.

The Associated Press projects Democrats will win 252 seats, with 19 races still uncalled. Democrats have already flipped 38 seats.

Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, a former chair of the House Intelligence Committee, was defeated by Democrat Kristina Knickerbocker, the AP projected. Turner was first elected in 2002.

Rep. Richard Hudson, R-N.C., chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee, was defeated by Richard Ojeda, the AP projected. Hudson conceded his race Wednesday.

Republican Reps. Juan Ciscomani of Arizona and Jeff Crank of Colorado were also defeated.

The GOP managed to flip only one seat in a district unaffected by mid-decade redistricting: Maine's 2nd Congressional District.

Among the uncalled House races is New York's 17th Congressional District, where Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., has already conceded to Democrat Cait Conley.

Republicans also fell short of their redistricting goals. The GOP targeted 15 Democratic-held districts, while Democrats countered with new maps targeting six Republican-held seats, potentially giving the GOP a net nine-seat advantage.

Instead, Democrats retained at least 11 of the 15 targeted seats, while Republicans flipped two, with two races unresolved as of Thursday.

In North Carolina, Democrats could win 10 of the state's 14 House seats, despite redistricting that favored Republicans in 11 districts.

Sen. Ted Cruz, the only statewide Republican official left in Texas after the midterms, called the GOP's losses a "Watergate-level repudiation," attributing the defeats to rising living costs and criticizing President Donald Trump's tariffs and the war with Iran.