'Gun to my head? Speaker Jeffries': GOP 'less confident than Dems' over control of US House

05 Nov 2024, 15:36 by https://www.facebook.com/17108852506 · AlterNet

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on October 1, 2024 (Gage Skidmore)
Alex Henderson
November 05, 2024Election 2024

When Election Day 2024 arrived, reporters were paying especially close attention to the United States' presidential race. But control of Congress is on the ballot as well.

Democrats fear losing their small majority in the U.S. Senate. The seat presently held by centrist Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia is almost certain to go Republican, and Sen. Jon Tester (R-Montana) — who is seeking a fourth term — has been struggling in polls.

Meanwhile, all of the seats in the U.S. House of Representatives are up for grabs. And Democrats are hoping to take away Speaker Mike Johnson's (R-Louisiana) small House majority.

Semafor's Kadia Goba reports, "Control of the U.S. House is still a tossup heading into Election Day — but going into the homestretch, Republicans seem slightly less confident than Democrats."

A GOP aide, quoted anonymously, told Semafor, "Gun to my head? Speaker Jeffries deals with the same clown show we've dealt with the last two years."

Goba reports, "Democrats are looking beyond New York and California races to pick up seats in Nebraska, Iowa, and Arizona. At the same time, Republicans hope to flip seats in Alaska, Washington, and Maine. Concerns over lagging early turnout among Black voters in North Carolina have Democrats nervous and could have implications for Rep. Don Davis there."

The Semafor reporter continues, "Republicans are afraid they may have sacrificed their advantage among Puerto Rican voters in another swing Pennsylvania district after comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s now-infamous 'garbage' remark at Donald Trump's Madison Square Garden rally."