Midterm Election 2014 Results: GOP Takes Stronger Grip on the House

Republicans projected to gain between 14 and 18 seats in the House.

ByABC News
November 5, 2014, 12:30 AM

— -- Republicans have strengthened their majority control of the House of Representatives. Now, the only question remaining is how big that majority will grow.

As of 12:30 a.m. ET, ABC News had projected that Republicans had won 239 seats in the House to 180 for Democrats, which already gives the GOP a stronger hold than they had in the previous Congress, when they had a 34-seat majority. ABC News projected that by the time the night is over, Republicans will have gained between 14 and 18 seats in the House.

While majority control of the Senate has been the primary point of discussion through the midterm elections, President Obama could face the largest House majority since the Great Depression if Republicans win a net-gain of 13 seats in the lower chamber today.

With House Republicans adding to their current 34-seat majority, it will possibly diminish some of the power of a conservative wing of lawmakers who have challenged House Speaker John Boehner's leadership on issues like health care, immigration reform and government spending.

After voting in West Chester, Ohio, this morning, Boehner told reporters he feels good about the GOP's chances to not only add to his majority, but also pick up the Senate majority.

"We've listened to the American people," Boehner said. "We've kept our focus on the economy and jobs non-stop. I think the voters in America today are going to send a very clear message to the president and Democrats in Washington that the American people want us to focus on their priorities, not Washington's priorities."

Although some conservative candidates have been reluctant to publicly declare whether they would vote to elect Boehner as House speaker, his hold on the leadership post should grow today after spending the past three months campaigning across the country, winning over the favor of many grateful Republicans.

Even a modest electoral wave today could hand Republicans their largest House majority in decades. Republicans have set a goal of 245, exceeding the 242 seats they held after the Tea Party Wave of 2010. A net gain of 11 seats is an outcome even senior Democratic strategists admit is highly likely.

Republicans in the 80th Congress held 246 seats during President Harry Truman's administration, but if the GOP can pick up 13 or more seats, President Obama will face the largest class of House Republicans since the 71st Congress was sworn in January 1929, when the GOP had 270 seats, during the Hoover administration.

ABC News will be keeping track of the balance of power in the House of Representatives and the results of key Congressional races throughout the evening. Check back for updates.