Republicans lay claim to 158 House seats, Democrats have 98 in US midterms

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - Republicans have taken a sizable lead in the race to control the US House of Representatives, with incomplete results showing a significant lead over Democrats on Tuesday evening.

In all, Republicans have won 158 seats in the chamber, compared to 98 for Democrats. While the margins are likely to change as results are tabulated, a forecast from the New York Times newspaper puts chances of Republican control of the House at 74%.

Democrats have just a 26% chance of retaining their hold on the chamber. Most analysts widely predicted a Republican takeover of the House, though the Senate remains a topic of intense speculation.

This year, all 435 seats in the House are up for election, compared to 35 seats in the Senate. The vast majority of Senate seats -- 21 -- are held by Republican incumbents. But the Senate is currently evenly split between Republicans and Democrats, greatly increasing the importance of each seat for both parties.

In all, 22 Senate races have been called by the Associated Press with Tuesday evening quickly winding down. Republicans have won 15 contests compared to 7 for Democrats, according to the Associated Press' projections.

There are about 10 Senate races across the country that could prove pivotal in determining whether Republicans or Democrats lay claim to the chamber, including in Georgia, where incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock is trailing his Republican opponent, former American football star Herschel Walker, by 0.6%, according to RealClearPolitics.

Results in any number of races are unlikely to be known on Election Day, and tightly watched races such as those in Georgia and Pennsylvania could take days to determine, given how tight they are. Pennsylvania in particular has sought to throw cold water on expectations for a quick result, saying it could take days to tabulate the expected deluge of votes.

Some states also have a significant backlog of absentee or mail-in votes which, depending on the local rules, cannot begin to be counted before Election Day.

While international attention will remain focused on top-line congressional races, further down the ballot, voters will weigh in on a series of state and local campaigns, from governors' races to ballot initiatives such as marijuana legalization, and more mundane but nonetheless important races for local offices.