Control of the House has yet to be determined as a number of critical races remain too-close-to-call, leaving lawmakers — and voters — waiting to see which party will hold the majority next year.

The sprint to 218, however, is nearing the final stretch, after a handful of additional races were called in the days following election night.

Republicans had secured 216 seats in the lower chamber as of Friday morning, with Democrats trailing at 204 seats, according to Decision Desk HQ. A total of 15 races have not yet been called: Democrats are leading in nine of the contests while GOP candidates are ahead in the other six.

Republicans, nonetheless, are wasting no time in claiming victory even as the final tally remains unclear. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has said the House is poised to remain in GOP hands, and he has already launched his bid to retain hold of the gavel.

Democrats, meanwhile, are holding out hope that they could eke out a razor-thin majority. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) on Thursday said “it has yet to be decided who will control" the House next year, pointing to ongoing ballot counting in Oregon, Arizona and California.

Several competitive House races have been called in the past couple days, including Rep. David Schweikert's (R) reelection in Arizona's 1st Congressional District; Rep. David Valadao's (R) reelection in California's 22nd Congressional District; April McClain Delaney's election in Maryland's 6th Congressional District; Rep. Andrea Salinas's (D) reelection in Oregon's 6th Congressional District; Rep. Julia Brownley's (D) reelection in California's 26th Congressional District; and Rep. Linda Sanchez's (D) reelection in California 38th Congressional District.

Here are the uncalled races to watch in the quest for control of the House.

California’s 21st congressional district

Rep. Jim Costa (D-Calif.) is fighting for his political life in California’s 21nd congressional district in a race that has surprisingly emerged as a nail-biter this cycle.

Costa, a 10-term lawmaker, was leading Republican Michael Maher, a former FBI agent, by 1.1 percentage points — or 1,476 votes — at the time of publication, according to Decision Desk HQ, with 62.7 percent of the vote in.

The race was never expected to be close. The district broke for President Biden by 20.3 percentage points in 2020, and Cook Political Report said the seat was a “solid Democrat.” A victory by Maher would flip the district red.

The current margin contrasts with that from 2022, when Maher challenged Costa for the seat. That year, Costa won handedly by 8.4 percentage points.

California’s 9th congressional district

Rep. Josh Harder (D-Calif.) is locked in a tight race against Stockton Mayor Kevin Lincoln (R) in California’s 9th congressional district, a contest that is threatening to end the incumbent’s tenure on Capitol Hill.

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