众议院的民主党人明年可能仍会在共和党中占据多数席位，但是他们的优势越来越小共和党在本赛季的一些决赛中以微弱优势领先，目前不到400票。
这围绕众议院竞赛的戏剧唐纳德·特朗普(Donald Trump)总统对该国选举制度的无情抨击，包括他的怀疑的努力选举的公正性以及他的竞选团队为挑战选举结果而提起的一系列不成功的诉讼。
尽管当选总统乔·拜登入主白宫，但共和党人将众议院议长南希·佩洛西的35席多数席位削减至仅12席。由于爱荷华州和纽约还有两场竞选悬而未决，路易斯安那州也有一场决选，美国广播公司新闻(ABC News)目前的预测是，党派分裂为222-210，使民主党成为20年来最小的多数派之一。
周一晚上，共和党又取得了一场胜利，加利福尼亚州的民主党议员克里斯蒂·史密斯在第25国会选区向共和党众议员迈克·加西亚(Mike Garcia)让步，这是除爱荷华州和纽约的竞选之外的最后一场众议院竞选。
辛西娅·斯马利/迈克·加西亚通过美联社代表国会
共和党人迈克·加西亚
这两个竞争对手之间的差距为333票，比今年早些时候的5月特别选举要接近得多加西亚第一次赢得席位时以前属于民主党众议员凯蒂·希尔。
史密斯在一份声明中说:“虽然我对我们赢得的每一张选票都感到谦卑，但结果表明我们的地区分歧很大。”。
史密斯的让步结束了一场有争议的竞选活动，在自选举日以来的近四周内，两位候选人轮流领先。
加西亚曾是海军战斗机飞行员，现已赢得为期两年的席位，在长期由共和党控制的地区(包括洛杉矶县北部)的选民于2016年支持希拉里·克林顿(Hillary Clinton)和2018年支持希尔(Hill)后，该席位已回归红色。
在爱荷华州和纽约的出色竞选中，优势微乎其微，而路易斯安那州的第五国会选区将于12月5日举行两位共和党人卢克·莱特洛(Luke Letlow)和州众议员兰斯·哈里斯(Lance Harris)的决选，以取代即将离任的共和党众议员拉尔夫·亚伯拉罕(Ralph Abraham)。
共和党人玛丽安特·米勒-米克斯在爱荷华州的重新计票结束时领先六票。周一，在第二国会选区的所有24个县完成重新计票后，州拉票委员会认证了结果。
官方统计显示，米勒-米克斯以196，964比196，958领先民主党人丽塔·哈特，这是历史上最接近的差距之一。
CQ-通过盖蒂图像文件点名公司
2014年9月22日，玛丽安特·米勒-米克斯接受CQ点名采访。
国务卿保罗·帕特在宣布结果认证的声明中说:“这场竞选强调了每一张选票都可以产生影响。”。
在这个国家的历史上，有七场竞选，候选人仅以一票之差被分开。爱荷华州的竞选是自1984年以来最接近众议院的竞选，当时民主党人弗兰克·麦克洛斯基在印第安纳州第8国会区以四票之差战胜共和党人里克·麦金太尔，此前进行了几次重新计票。
但是爱荷华州东南部地区的竞选远未结束。
哈特要么在竞选中认输，要么在法庭上进一步竞选。根据该法案，她必须在周一认证后的两天内采取法律行动得梅因登记处。
她的竞选经理扎克·梅尼尔在认证后建议他们继续挑战。
“在接下来的几天里，我们将概述我们在这个过程中的下一步措施，以确保所有爱荷华州人的声音都能被听到，”他说。
如果米勒-米克斯被宣布为获胜者，她将取代民主党众议员戴夫·勒布萨克(Dave Loebsack)，后者将在众议院任职7个任期后退休，她的胜利将进一步削减民主党在众议院的多数席位。
奇普·索莫德维拉/盖蒂影像公司
众议院议长南希·佩洛西在再次当选主持会议后接受记者采访
该党还可能在纽约州北部失去一个席位，现任民主党众议员安东尼·布林迪西目前正落后于他的共和党挑战者克劳迪娅·坦尼以12票在混乱的选举后。
周一，该地区所有八个县的第一份官方统计数据提交给了州最高法院法官。纽约州的认证截止日期要到12月7日，即“安全港”日期的前一天，这是各州认证结果的截止日期，以便他们的选票在提交给国会时免受挑战。
随着这场比赛在法庭上进行，这场比赛和爱荷华州的比赛可能需要几个月才能结束。
这些咬指甲的人预计将在未来两年对民主党的效力产生重大影响，领导层在下届国会制定议程时面临越来越艰难的道路。
“利润率微乎其微，但可能会对众议院的运作方式产生巨大影响，”戴夫·乏色曼《库克政治报告》的众议院编辑史密斯周一在加州承认之前写道。“这两场竞选可能会决定民主党是否拥有222或224个席位的多数，以及议长南希·佩洛西是否能够承受四、五或六次倒戈，并仍能通过立法。”
The size of House Democrats' shrinking majority comes down to nail-biter races
Democrats in the House might still have a majority to wield over the GOP next year, buttheir advantage is growing narroweras Republicans take minuscule leads, currently under 400 votes, in some of the final races of the season.
Thedrama surrounding the House contestshas largely been eclipsed by President Donald Trump's relentless assailment of the country's electoral system, including hisefforts to cast doubtover the integrity of the election and his campaign's string of unsuccessful lawsuits to challenge the results.
Despite President-elect Joe Biden clinching the White House, Republicans trimmed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's 35-seat majority to just 12. With an additional two races outstanding in Iowa and New York and a runoff in Louisiana, current ABC News projections put the partisan breakdown at 222-210 -- leaving Democrats with one of the smallest majorities in two decades.
On Monday evening, Republicans scored another victory when Christy Smith, the Democratic assemblywoman in California, conceded to Republican Rep. Mike Garcia in the 25th Congressional District -- in what was one of the last remaining House races along with contests in Iowa and New York.
The margin separating the two rivals was 333 votes, which was far closer than the May special election earlier this yearwhen Garcia first won the seatthat formerly belonged to Democratic Rep. Katie Hill.
"Though I'm humbled by every vote we earned, the results show our district is deeply divided," Smith said in a statement.
Smith's concession closes out a contentious campaign, in which both candidates took the lead in turns over the nearly four weeks since Election Day.
Garcia, a former Navy fighter pilot, has now earned the seat outright for a two-year term -- returning it to reliably red after voters in the longtime GOP-held district, which covers northern Los Angeles County, backed Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Hill in 2018.
In the outstanding Iowa and New York races, the margins are razor-thin, while Louisiana’s 5th Congressional District is headed to a runoff on Dec. 5 between two Republicans, Luke Letlow and state Rep. Lance Harris, to replace outgoing GOP Rep. Ralph Abraham.
Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks holds a six-vote lead at the end of a recount in Iowa. The state canvassing board certified the results on Monday after all 24 counties in the 2nd Congressional District completed the recount.
The official tallies put Miller-Meeks ahead of Democrat Rita Hart by one of the closest margins in history, 196,964-196,958.
"This race reinforces that every single vote can make a difference," said Secretary of State Paul Pate in a statement announcing the certification of the results.
There have been seven races throughout the country's history where candidates were separated by just one vote. The Iowa race is the closest race for the House since 1984, when Democrat Frank McCloskey prevailed in Indiana's 8th Congressional District by just four votes over Republican Rick McIntyre after several recounts.
But the race for the southeastern Iowa district is far from over.
Hart could either concede the race or further contest the election in the courts. She is required to take legal action within two days of Monday's certification, according to theDes Moines Register.
Her campaign manager Zach Meunier suggested after certification that they will continue their challenge.
"Over the next few days, we will outline our next steps in this process to ensure that all Iowans' voices are heard," he said.
If Miller-Meeks is declared the winner, she will replace Democratic Rep. Dave Loebsack, who is retiring after seven terms in the chamber and her victory would further slash Democrats' majority in the House.
The party could also potentially lose a seat in upstate New York, where incumbent Democratic Rep. Anthony Brindisi is currently trailing his Republican challenger Claudia Tenneyby 12 votesin a messy post-election.
The first official tallies from all eight counties in the district were submitted to a state Supreme Court judge on Monday. New York state's certification deadline is not until Dec. 7, one day before the "safe harbor" date, a deadline for states to certify results in order for their electoral votes to be insulated from challenges when presented to Congress.
As the race makes its way through the courts, it could be months before this contest, along with the one in Iowa, are resolved.
These nail-biters are expected to hold significant influence over Democrats' effectiveness over the next two years, with leadership facing an increasingly tougher road ahead to enact their agenda in the next Congress.
"The margins are infinitesimal but could make a huge difference in how the House operates,"Dave Wasserman, the House editor for the Cook Political Report, wrote on Monday before Smith conceded in California. "These two races will likely decide whether Democrats have a 222 or 224 seat majority and whether Speaker Nancy Pelosi can afford four, five or six defections and still pass legislation."
