California's 45th House district went to challenger Derek Tran (D) after absentee ballots were counted for weeks; Tran overcame a slim lead by Republican two-term incumbent Michelle Steel to flip the seat.

Steel was leading Tran narrowly on Election Day, but California's lax rules allow absentee ballots that are postmarked by Election Day but arrive up to seven days later to be counted.

Three weeks later, the ballots were all counted and Tran had a several-hundred vote lead.

The Associated Press reported that the district was specifically drawn to give Asian-Americans more of an advantage.

One journey ending, another beginning

Steel said in a statement that “like all journeys, this one is ending for a new one to begin.”

At the time of her election in 2020, she was one of the first Korean-American women to be elected and serve in the House.

While Steel seems to have accepted her apparent defeat, questions remain about the election's fairness.

A vote dropbox in a Republican area of the district was reported burglarized, with all of the votes stolen.

Slim majority

Republicans now hold 220 seats in the House, while Democrats have 214.

One race is yet to be decided--California's 13th district, in which Democrat Adam Gray is leading  Republican Rep. John Duarte by an equally slim margin of a few hundred votes.

One seat is vacant, that of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who resigned to become President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for attorney general, though he has since rescinded his acceptance of that nomination due to controversy.

The seat is heavily Republican and is not expected to be flipped when a special election is held in 2025.

Two other Republicans, Reps. Mike Waltz of Florida and Elise Stefanik of New York, are expected to resign as they are confirmed to Trump posts.

It will be another slim majority, surely a challenge for Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) as he continues his leadership.