How many seats do Republicans need to win to take control of the House and Senate?
The Democrats currently posses a slim majority in Washington DC, meaning that both Houses of Congress are up for grabs in the 2022 midterms.
As is often the case in the midterm elections, pollsters are expecting that the ruling party will suffer some losses as the electorate takes the opportunity to voice some grievances against the past two years of governance.
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The Democrats have enjoyed unified power in Washington, controlling both the House of Representatives and the Senate while President Joe Biden sits in the White House.
However they have only a slim margin in both Houses of Congress, meaning that they are very likely to lose at least one of them in this election cycle.
How many seats do the Republicans need to take the House?
The House of Representatives is a 435-seat chamber, meaning that a party needs to hold 218 seats to claim a majority under normal circumstances. Ahead of the midterms the Democrats hold 220 seats, the Republicans have 212 and there are 3 seats currently vacant.
The three vacant seats were previously held by two Democrats and one Republican, which would bring the Democrats to 222 and the Republicans to 213. This means that five flipped seats would be enough to hand the Republicans control of the House.
How many seats do the Republicans need to take the Senate?
The Senate, often referred to as the Upper Chamber, is comprised of just 100 seats, meaning that 51 seats are needed for a party to claim a majority.
Currently each party has exactly 50 senators, a dead split between the Democrats and the GOP. However the Democrats have a slim majority by dint of Vice President Kamala Harris’ tie-breaking vote as President of the Senate.
As such, the Republicans could take control of the Upper Chamber if they flip just one seat in the 2022 midterm elections.