Republicans pick up several House seats, nearing majority, but control still too close to call

House Republicans by early Wednesday morning had picked up several seats but whether they would win enough to retake control of the chamber remained unclear.

Shortly after 1 a.m., Republicans had picked up seven seats and Democrats had picked up two, for a 198-167 split. The GOP needs 218 seats to win the chamber with many of the races still undecided. 

Virginia Rep. Elaine Luria, a Navy veteran who serves on the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot, was the first Democratic incumbent to lose a highly competitive House district, according to the Associated Press. 

But many of the districts that could determine control of the House in states such as California and New York had not been called.

Republicans in the closing weeks of the midterm election cycle were optimistic about a so-called red wave, driven by historical trends and deep voter concerns about inflation – with polls appearing to show Republicans winning in Congress and state houses across the country.

It's "clear we are going to the take the House back," Minority Leader California Rep. Kevin McCarthy, who is poised to become House speaker if the GOP takes control of the chamber, said close to 2am in a Washington, D.C., hotel ballroom where the GOP had hoped to celebrate big wins.

Despite Luria losing, Virginia Democrat Reps. Abigail Spanberger and Jennifer Wexton held off tough Republican challengers in districts the GOP had hoped to flip, the wire service also reports.