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House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy won the Republican Party's nomination for Speaker of the House.
McCarthy defeated Arizona Congressman Andy Biggs in the secret vote by a tally of 188-31. Despite the wide margin of his victory, it could be challenging for McCarthy to earn the 218 votes he needs to win the Speakership next year.
"Losing 31 means he is in serious danger of not having the votes in January, which would mean he'd need to drop out either that day or he could decide to before," a senior aide to GOP leadership told Fox News. "At that point, others would pounce."
The Republican Party has not officially secured a majority in the 118th United States Congress that will convene in January. As of Tuesday (November 15), Republicans have secured 215 seats, with 16 races yet to be decided. However, the Republicans are expected to win enough seats to earn a slim majority in the House.
They will not gain a majority in the Senate after Catherine Cortez Masto defeated Adam Laxalt in Nevada and Democrat Mark Kelly held off his Republican opponent, Blake Masters.
The Georgia Senate race between Herschel Walker and Raphael Warnock will be decided in a run-off election on December 6. If Walker wins, each party will hold 50 seats, but the Democrats would have Vice President Kamala Harris to break any ties.