**GOP Optimistic About Maintaining House Majority Amid Tight Races**

House Speaker Mike Johnson and his Republican colleagues are feeling increasingly confident about their chances of retaining control of the House of Representatives. This optimism comes as President-elect Donald Trump propels the party toward a potential complete takeover of Washington. While numerous key races remain undecided and may take days or weeks to resolve, insider sentiment suggests the GOP is poised to maintain its hold on the House.

According to several senior campaign operatives from both parties, there is a strong belief that the GOP will retain control. "We're going to hold the House," a senior GOP campaign official affirmed, adding that the current focus is determining the size of their majority.

On the Democratic side, a senior source conceded that flipping the House now seems unlikely given the pending results. Nevertheless, House Democrats are not yet ready to conduct a post-mortem and plan to discuss the results in an internal call.

The GOP's anticipation of retaining key seats in traditionally Democratic strongholds such as California and Oregon contrasts with their robust performance in battlegrounds like Nebraska and Pennsylvania. Meanwhile, Democrats are managing to hold onto a few crucial seats; Jared Golden in Maine and Marcy Kaptur in Ohio are narrowly ahead in heavily Trump-favored areas, and they have flipped a seat in New York. However, they have also lost essential seats in Pennsylvania and Michigan.

Additionally, Representative Susan Wild from Pennsylvania has conceded to her GOP opponent amid tight competition, though this race has yet to be officially called by CNN. The Democratic strategy to reclaim the House involves retaining all remaining incumbents while securing Republican seats in California, Oregon, and Arizona—a daunting task.

One senior House Democrat campaign official noted, "We need to pitch a perfect game and that probably won't happen."

One of the most surprising developments for both parties is the anticipated success of GOP Rep. Don Bacon in Nebraska. Despite significant Democratic investment aimed at his ousting, Bacon appears to be maintaining his seat. This particular race, though still uncalled, has both Republicans and Democrats expecting Bacon to hold on.

As the final results trickle in, both parties continue to brace for a closely contested battle with the GOP's optimism facing the persistent efforts and hopes of the Democrats.