The closest U.S. House race of 2024 was California's 13th District, where Democrat Adam Gray won by 187 votes, a margin of 0.1 points [2]. DataPorium data show 11 House races decided by less than 2 points and 38 by less than 5 points in 2024, with Democrats winning 23 of those 38 and Republicans 15 [1]. As of October 13, 2026, the House has 218 Republicans, 214 Democrats, 1 independent and 2 vacancies, and a majority of the full 435-seat chamber is 218 seats [3].
Which House races were closest in 2024?
The margin here is the winner's vote share minus the runner-up's share, in percentage points. "D+0.1" means the Democratic candidate won by 0.1 points; "R+0.2" means the Republican candidate won by 0.2 points. The table lists the 15 closest of the 435 districts in the November 5, 2024 general election, using certified results [1].
| District (2024 lines) | Winner | Runner-up | Margin | Vote gap | State has a new map for 2026? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California 13th | Adam Gray (D) | John Duarte (R) | D+0.1 | 187 | Yes |
| Iowa 1st | Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R) | Christina Bohannan (D) | R+0.2 | 799 | No |
| California 45th | Derek Tran (D) | Michelle Steel (R) | D+0.2 | 653 | Yes |
| Ohio 9th | Marcy Kaptur (D) | Derek Merrin (R) | D+0.6 | 2,382 | Yes |
| Maine 2nd | Jared Golden (D) | Austin Theriault (R) | D+0.7 | 2,706 | No |
| Colorado 8th | Gabe Evans (R) | Yadira Caraveo (D) | R+0.7 | 2,449 | No |
| Pennsylvania 7th | Ryan Mackenzie (R) | Susan Wild (D) | R+1.0 | 4,062 | No |
| Pennsylvania 10th | Scott Perry (R) | Janelle Stelson (D) | R+1.3 | 5,133 | No |
| Pennsylvania 8th | Rob Bresnahan (R) | Matt Cartwright (D) | R+1.6 | 6,252 | No |
| North Carolina 1st | Don Davis (D) | Laurie Buckhout (R) | D+1.7 | 6,307 | Yes |
| Nebraska 2nd | Don Bacon (R) | Tony Vargas (D) | R+1.9 | 5,829 | No |
| Alaska at-large | Nick Begich (R) | Mary Peltola (D) | R+2.0 (first round) | 6,722 | No |
| Ohio 13th | Emilia Sykes (D) | Kevin Coughlin (R) | D+2.2 | 8,542 | Yes |
| New York 19th | Josh Riley (D) | Marc Molinaro (R) | D+2.2 | 8,357 | No |
| New York 4th | Laura Gillen (D) | Anthony D'Esposito (R) | D+2.3 | 8,603 | No |
Source: DataPorium Election Results, certified 2024 US House results by district [1]; new-map status from Ballotpedia as of September 28, 2026 [5]. Important: these are 2024 district lines. In the five rows marked "Yes" (California 13th and 45th, Ohio 9th and 13th, North Carolina 1st), the state has adopted a new congressional map for 2026, so a district with the same number may cover different places and different voters on November 3, 2026, and its 2024 margin does not describe the new district [5]. Alaska uses ranked-choice voting; the margin shown is the first-round count [1].
The list is close to evenly split: Democrats won 8 of these 15 races and Republicans won 7 [1]. Six races were decided by less than 1 point, four won by Democrats and two by Republicans [1]. The Iowa 1st District was the closest Republican win, by 799 votes out of 414,078 cast [12].
Are the 2024 districts the same in 2026?
Not everywhere. Ballotpedia counts nine states with new congressional maps for 2026 as of September 2026: Alabama, California, Florida, Louisiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas and Utah [5]. Six of them passed a new map between the 2024 and 2026 elections, and in Alabama, Louisiana and Utah litigation led to a new map [5]. Missouri enacted a new map in 2025, but Ballotpedia reports that the older map is being used for the 2026 general election while a veto referendum is pending [5].
That matters for any list of key races built from 2024 results. A district's number can stay the same while its boundaries move, so comparing a 2024 margin with a 2026 result in a redrawn state compares two different electorates. In the ten rows of the table marked "No", the state is not on Ballotpedia's list of new maps, so those districts keep their 2024 lines for 2026 [5].
One timing difference also affects election night: in Louisiana, the House primary is on November 3, 2026 and the general election is on December 12, 2026, according to Ballotpedia [11].
Which House seats flipped in 2024 and 2022?
2024
Ballotpedia counts 19 districts that changed party hands in the 2024 general election [6]. Democrats gained 10: Alabama 2nd, California 13th, 27th and 45th, Georgia 6th, Louisiana 6th, New York 4th, 19th and 22nd, and Oregon 5th. Republicans gained 9: Alaska at-large, Colorado 8th, Georgia 7th, Michigan 7th, North Carolina 6th, 13th and 14th, and Pennsylvania 7th and 8th [6]. Several of those changes followed new court-ordered or court-related maps: Ballotpedia notes that Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, New York and North Carolina used different congressional maps in 2024 than in 2022 [6].
DataPorium flags nine 2024 flips among districts whose lines were comparable with 2022, including California's 13th, 27th and 45th, Colorado's 8th, Michigan's 7th and Pennsylvania's 7th and 8th [1].
2022
In 2022, the first election after the 2020 census, Republicans won a 222 to 213 majority and gained a net of nine districts, according to Ballotpedia [7]. Its list of flipped districts includes 17 seats, 13 that moved to Republicans and 4 that moved to Democrats [7]. Several stayed close two years later: in 2024, DataPorium data show Arizona's 6th at R+2.5, Wisconsin's 3rd at R+2.7, Iowa's 3rd at R+3.8, Virginia's 2nd at R+3.8, Washington's 3rd at D+3.9 and New Mexico's 2nd at D+4.2 [1]. Two seats flipped in both cycles: New York's 4th and Oregon's 5th moved to Republicans in 2022 and to Democrats in 2024 [6][7].
What was the 2024 House popular vote?
The official count compiled by the Clerk of the House shows 149,543,421 votes cast for U.S. Representative in 2024 [8]. Republican candidates received 74,390,864 votes (49.7%) and Democratic candidates 70,571,330 (47.2%), a Republican margin of 2.6 points or 3,819,534 votes [8]. Republicans won 220 seats and Democrats 215 [1][6].
The national House vote is an imperfect measure of party strength, because some districts have no candidate from one of the major parties and states count votes in different ways. It is still the standard summary figure. For comparison, the 2022 election produced 222 Republican and 213 Democratic seats, so Democrats gained a net of two seats in 2024 relative to the 2022 result [1][7].
How many seats does a House majority need in 2026?
A majority of the full House is 218 of 435 seats. As of October 13, 2026, the Clerk of the House lists 218 Republicans, 214 Democrats, 1 independent and 2 vacancies [3]. The House Press Gallery shows the same breakdown [10].
- Independent: Representative Kevin Kiley of California left the Republican Party in March 2026 and said he would serve as an independent while continuing to caucus with Republicans [9].
- Vacancies: Texas's 23rd District, after Representative Tony Gonzales (R) resigned on April 14, 2026, and Florida's 20th District, after Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D) resigned on April 21, 2026 [4].
- Seats filled this year: special elections filled seats in California, Georgia, New Jersey and Texas during 2026, most recently Georgia's 13th District, where Representative Everton Blair Jr. took the oath on September 1, 2026, and California's 14th, where Representative Aisha Wahab took the oath on September 2, 2026 [4].
All 435 seats are on the ballot on November 3, 2026. With 433 members currently seated, 217 votes are a majority when every member votes; after the election, the 218-seat threshold applies to the new House that convenes in January 2027.
The closest House race of 2024 was decided by 187 votes in California's 13th District, and 38 of 435 races were decided by less than 5 points.
Frequently asked questions
What was the closest House race in 2024?
California's 13th District, where Democrat Adam Gray won by 187 votes, 50.04% to 49.96%, out of 210,921 cast [2]. Iowa's 1st District was the closest Republican win, by 799 votes [12].
How many House seats flipped in 2024?
Ballotpedia counts 19 districts that changed party hands in 2024: Democrats gained 10 and Republicans gained 9 [6]. Some of those changes followed new maps in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, New York and North Carolina [6].
How many seats are needed for a House majority?
218 of the 435 seats. As of October 13, 2026, Republicans hold 218 seats, Democrats 214, one member is an independent and two seats are vacant [3].
Who won the 2024 House popular vote?
Republican candidates received 74,390,864 votes (49.7%) and Democratic candidates 70,571,330 (47.2%), according to the Clerk of the House [8]. Republicans won 220 seats and Democrats 215 [1].
Sources & References
- [1] DataPorium Election Results (2024 US House results by district)
- [2] DataPorium Election Results (2024 US House, California District 13)
- [3] Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, party breakdown (accessed October 13, 2026)
- [4] Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, Vacancies of the 119th Congress (accessed October 13, 2026)
- [5] Ballotpedia, Redistricting ahead of the 2026 elections (last updated September 28, 2026)
- [6] Ballotpedia, United States House of Representatives elections, 2024 (accessed October 13, 2026)
- [7] Ballotpedia, United States House of Representatives elections, 2022 (accessed October 13, 2026)
- [8] Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 5, 2024 (published March 10, 2025)
- [9] ABC7 News, California Rep. Kevin Kiley says he's leaving Republican Party and will serve as independent (March 10, 2026)
- [10] House Press Gallery, Party Breakdown, 119th Congress (accessed October 13, 2026)
- [11] Ballotpedia, United States House of Representatives elections in Louisiana, 2026 (accessed October 13, 2026)
- [12] DataPorium Election Results (2024 US House, Iowa District 1)
