Republicans retain control of US House

LOS ANGELES - Republicans have gained enough seats to retain control of the U.S. House of Representatives.

As of Wednesday night, Republicans had gained 218 seats while Democrats had 208.

There are 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. Each seat represents a congressional district, with the number of districts per state based on population. To control the House, a party needs 218 seats.

With this latest victory, Republicans now control all three branches of the government - the House, the Senate, and the White House.

A House Republican victory in Arizona, alongside a win in slow-counting California earlier Wednesday, gave the GOP the 218 House victories that make up the majority.

With hard-fought yet thin majorities, Republican leaders are envisioning a mandate to upend the federal government and swiftly implement Trump’s vision for the country.

When he returns to the White House, Trump will be working with a Republican Party that has been completely transformed by his "Make America Great Again" movement and a Supreme Court dominated by conservative justices, including three that he appointed.

Still, with a few races still uncalled, the Republicans may hold the majority by just a few seats as the new Congress begins.

The Republican majority also depends on a small group of lawmakers who won tough elections by running as moderates. It remains to be seen whether they will stay onboard for some of the most extreme proposals championed by Trump and his allies.

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House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, meanwhile, is trying to keep Democrats relevant to any legislation that passes Congress, an effort that will depend on Democratic leaders unifying over 200 members, even as the party undergoes a postmortem of its election losses.