Nine House seats remain undecided

Nine House seats have still not been decided, with a number of races in California and Arizona holding up a final count for House control.

If every one of these races holds as is, Democrats will net seven House seats this election. But that’s a big if, as recounts and legal challenges loom in a number of them.

{mosads}The closest races are currently for Rep. Dan Lungren (R-Calif.), who trails by 184 votes to Democratic challenger Ami Bera, Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-N.C.), who clings to a 378-vote lead, and Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-Calif.), who trails by 685 votes to Democrat Scott Peters.

McIntyre, an eight-term lawmaker, is facing Republican challenger David Rouzer. Rouzer can call for a recount after the initial tally, due to the close margin of the vote. 

Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) also trails his opponent, Democratic rival Patrick Murphy, by less than 3,000 votes, with all precincts reporting. 

West on Wednesday said he was not conceding to Murphy and pledged to “pursue all legal means necessary” to ensure every ballot in the district was counted. Early projections on election night though said West would likely lose his seat.

In California, Mary Bono Mack (R-Calif.) trails Democrat Raul Ruiz by 4,557 votes.

Rep. Ron Barber (D-Ariz.), in the seat once held by former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D), is narrowly trailing his opponent Martha McSally by a little more than 1,000 votes. 

Democratic candidates Ann Kirkpatrick and Kyrsten Sinema in Arizona and Julia Brownley in California hold a narrow edge over their opponents.

The Associated Press on Wednesday called the race for Republican Rep. Dan Benishek in his Michigan race against Democrat Gary McDowell.

—This post has been updated to reflect Benishek’s win.