1 00:00:02,066 --> 00:00:04,333 GEOFF BENNETT: So how much congressional support will Mr. Trump have to implement his 2 00:00:04,333 --> 00:00:08,533 agenda? That remains to be seen with more than a dozen congressional races yet to be called. 3 00:00:10,433 --> 00:00:13,133 Republicans hoping to maintain their majority in the House, and if they do, 4 00:00:13,133 --> 00:00:17,633 it would lead to Republicans holding a political trifecta over Washington. 5 00:00:17,633 --> 00:00:22,333 Our Lisa Desjardins has been following the latest and joins us now from our PBS News super screen. 6 00:00:22,333 --> 00:00:25,966 All right, Lisa, so where do things stand in the race to control the House of Representatives? 7 00:00:25,966 --> 00:00:27,900 LISA DESJARDINS: We have had more races called over the weekend. 8 00:00:27,900 --> 00:00:30,933 Right now, as it stands, according to the Associated Press, Republicans 9 00:00:30,933 --> 00:00:34,700 have 214 seats they have won in the House. As many of our viewers know, 10 00:00:34,700 --> 00:00:39,666 that means they need four more in order to clinch control, keep control. How many 11 00:00:41,766 --> 00:00:44,733 races are left? There are 17 races left to be called around the country at this hour. 12 00:00:46,866 --> 00:00:49,766 They're all over the place. There's a couple that are going to overtime, Maine and Alaska. 13 00:00:49,766 --> 00:00:54,233 Those are ranked-choice elections, where we're going to go into the next phase of that. There's 14 00:00:54,233 --> 00:00:59,200 a couple that are getting official review, potentially recounts possible in Ohio and Iowa. 15 00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:04,400 But the largest number still, looking at you, California, 10 races left in the Golden State. 16 00:01:06,633 --> 00:01:10,333 And that will decide who wins and also the margin. So let's take a look at some of those. Here's a 17 00:01:10,333 --> 00:01:15,233 Republican race critical for Republican control. David Valadao, incumbent here, 18 00:01:15,233 --> 00:01:20,233 in House district 22. That's up here, sort of in the center of California. Right now, 19 00:01:21,966 --> 00:01:24,633 he's out ahead of Rudy Salas, looking good. Republicans like that. 20 00:01:24,633 --> 00:01:29,633 Not as good news for Republicans, better news for Democrats in District 27. That 21 00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:34,100 is Northern Los Angeles County, right around there. George Whitesides, 22 00:01:34,100 --> 00:01:38,833 former chief of staff at NASA, is now leading. He pulled ahead over the weekend. This could 23 00:01:38,833 --> 00:01:42,133 go back and forth, but Democrats think they're going to hold on to this lead. 24 00:01:42,133 --> 00:01:44,500 GEOFF BENNETT: And, Lisa, you have been looking at the data surrounding 25 00:01:44,500 --> 00:01:47,400 the House results. What do you see when you look more deeply? 26 00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:50,866 LISA DESJARDINS: Yes, there is something historic that happened in this election. 27 00:01:50,866 --> 00:01:54,666 Took my spreadsheet, looked at all of the competitive races that had incumbents in 28 00:01:54,666 --> 00:01:57,500 them. These are the ones that have been called by the Associated Press. 29 00:01:57,500 --> 00:02:01,866 You look at all of these dots representing Democrat incumbents, Republican incumbents. 30 00:02:01,866 --> 00:02:06,866 Of all of these, only five of these incumbents lost their races. The rest of them were winning 31 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:14,000 incumbents. It's a 98.5 percent win rate for incumbents, according to Open Secrets. 32 00:02:16,100 --> 00:02:19,866 That is a modern record. This is one reason Democrats have had trouble. Incumbents have 33 00:02:19,866 --> 00:02:24,866 just had incredible staying power. So right now, Republicans essentially are up one. 34 00:02:26,933 --> 00:02:30,066 Democrats really have a lot of catching up to do if they're going to get -- they need 35 00:02:30,066 --> 00:02:34,200 to swing five more seats in order to get control. Republicans feeling good. 36 00:02:34,200 --> 00:02:36,700 GEOFF BENNETT: All right, let's shift our focus to the Upper Chamber. We know 37 00:02:36,700 --> 00:02:40,100 Republicans will control the Senate. The question now is by how much. 38 00:02:40,100 --> 00:02:42,133 LISA DESJARDINS: Right. Let's look at it. 39 00:02:42,133 --> 00:02:44,666 OK, here we are. The Senate, according to the Associated Press, to their calls, 40 00:02:44,666 --> 00:02:49,666 53 Republican seats right now in their hands. The remaining decision is in Arizona, 41 00:02:51,233 --> 00:02:54,333 and we are waiting to see what happens there. So, this week, 42 00:02:54,333 --> 00:02:58,466 Republicans will vote on their majority leader replacing Mitch McConnell. That happens 43 00:02:58,466 --> 00:03:03,433 Wednesday. To win that, you need a majority of the sitting Republicans, more than half. 44 00:03:05,533 --> 00:03:08,633 Who's in that race? John Cornyn of Texas, John Thune of South Dakota, both have served as the 45 00:03:10,700 --> 00:03:14,466 number two Republican in the past. But a lot of conversation about Rick Scott of Florida, 46 00:03:14,466 --> 00:03:19,300 who has entered the race, saying he represents the MAGA wing of the party. And some from that 47 00:03:19,300 --> 00:03:23,433 MAGA wing have been endorsing Rick Scott in the last couple of days, Elon Musk, 48 00:03:23,433 --> 00:03:28,400 Tucker Carlson, podcaster Charlie Kirk, RFK Jr. and Vivek Ramaswamy. 49 00:03:28,400 --> 00:03:33,266 Now, talking to my sources, however, this is a secret ballot vote, Geoff. And everyone can 50 00:03:33,266 --> 00:03:37,300 say what they want about Rick Scott in public. Behind the scenes, I hear more 51 00:03:37,300 --> 00:03:42,233 senators inclined not to vote for him at this moment, but he's really making a run of it. 52 00:03:42,233 --> 00:03:44,900 GEOFF BENNETT: It's an interesting point because the Senate has typically been 53 00:03:44,900 --> 00:03:48,100 insulated from outside pressure. That has to do partly with the way 54 00:03:48,100 --> 00:03:51,966 the founders designed it. I mean, does that still hold true in this Trump era? 55 00:03:51,966 --> 00:03:56,900 LISA DESJARDINS: We have seen Donald Trump clearly wants to push control of the Senate right now. He 56 00:03:56,900 --> 00:04:01,866 sent out this post on X just over this weekend, saying that he is expecting any Republican 57 00:04:03,933 --> 00:04:07,300 senator who wants to have the leadership position must agree to recess appointments. 58 00:04:09,233 --> 00:04:11,266 What does that mean? Recess appointments is a way that you get around Senate 59 00:04:11,266 --> 00:04:15,633 confirmation. And you have to have both chambers in order to do it. A reminder, 60 00:04:15,633 --> 00:04:20,633 the president appoints more than 1,200 total positions. And high-level nominees 61 00:04:20,633 --> 00:04:24,533 usually face hearings in scrutiny, but a recess appointment would get around that. 62 00:04:24,533 --> 00:04:27,533 So this is also a decision that Republican senators will have to 63 00:04:27,533 --> 00:04:31,033 make. Trump wants them to give him sort of carte blanche on his appointments. 64 00:04:31,033 --> 00:04:33,200 GEOFF BENNETT: Lisa Desjardins, thanks to you, as always. 65 00:04:33,200 --> 00:04:34,400 LISA DESJARDINS: You're welcome.