The districts that will determine majority control of the House

While all 435 U.S. House seats are up for election in November , only one in 10 is considered competitive. Those races to watch will determine whether Republicans will retain their narrow control of the chamber next year.

Chart with title: Republicans hold a slim majority in the House. There are 212 Democrats, 220 Republicans, and 3 vacant seats. Just 43 races are competitive, according to ratings from the Cook Political Report , based on who is running, past election results, the local political climate and other research. Democrats need to win back only a handful of seats to regain the majority .

Each party currently holds half of the competitive districts.

Tap on districts to see detailsAlabama, Louisiana, Georgia, New York and North Carolina changed their district maps for the 2024 election. Many of the key races are in battleground states such as Pennsylvania and Michigan, where turnout for the presidential election may determine who wins the House. About half of the districts that Republicans will need to defend are in mostly liberal states such as California and New York and were narrowly won in 2022.

The close race means the new president could be the first in decades to take office with an opposing Congress, making it difficult to fulfill his or her agenda .

Most races to watch donâ€TMt have a clear favorite Twenty-six of the races to watch are true toss-ups, based on the Cook analysis. The rest lean either Republican or Democrat but could still be flipped.

New Yorkâ€TMs 22nd Congressional District, represented by Rep. Brandon Williams (R), is the only race to watch that leans toward the opposite party. The district, which includes Syracuse and Utica, changed boundaries after the state redrew its maps.

Democrats are also expected to win new seats in Alabama and Louisiana after redistricting battles there. Republicans are likely to gain three seats in North Carolina after redistricting, while a fourth, held by Democrat Don Davis, is considered a toss-up.

Some competitive districts are rural and others urban, some nearly all White and others more diverse. Some are mostly low-income, others high.

The competitive races were close in the last election, too. Most of the incumbents won by a hair in 2022.

Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) won her 9th District seat with 57 percent of the vote in 2022, the highest share of the current races to watch. In office since 1983, sheâ€TMs the longest-serving woman in Congress.

Almost all of the incumbents are running again Just four of the incumbents in races to watch are not running for reelection â€" all Democrats.

Rep. Daniel Kildee, who represents Michiganâ€TMs 8th District, chose to retire from public office after undergoing treatment for cancer. The rest are seeking statewide roles: Rep. Elissa Slotkin (Michiganâ€TMs 7th District) is running for Senate instead. Rep. Katie Porter (Californiaâ€TMs 47th District) also attempted a run for the Senate but lost in the primary. Rep. Abigail Spanberger (Virginiaâ€TMs 7th District) plans to run for governor in 2025.

The fight is happening mostly in areas Biden won Two-thirds of the districts to watch voted for Biden in 2020.

A handful of districts currently held by Democrats voted for Donald Trump, including Alaska and Maineâ€TMs 2nd District. Nearly all of the Republican-held districts that voted for Biden are races to watch, too, particularly in New York and California.

With Republicans appearing likely to win back control of the Senate and the presidential race anyoneâ€TMs guess, divided government is a real possibility. Which party wins the House will determine whether the new president will have to resort to executive actions to sidestep gridlock on Capitol Hill to fulfill any of their campaign promises.