Biden predicts that Dems will be 'close' but fall short of House majority

President Joe Biden on Monday cast doubt on Democrats’ chances of winning the still-uncalled contest for the House majority.

“I think we’re going to get very close in the House. I think it’s going to be very close, but I don’t think we’re going to make it,” Biden told reporters following his remarks in Indonesia, where he is attending the G-20 summit this week.

Republicans, predicted by many ahead of last week's midterms to easily secure a House majority, continue to hold the inside track for control of the chamber in the next Congress, though more than a dozen close races are still uncalled. Still, some Democrats remain hopeful at their party's narrow possibility of holding the House — an outcome that was almost unthinkable just a week ago — especially as they ride the high of clinching the Senate majority over the weekend.

Democrats in the midterms largely over-performed both historical precedent and many forecasts, fending off what Republicans predicted would be a red wave in House races across the country. Should Republicans win the House, they’re likely to achieve a much slimmer majority than originally expected.

The president’s expression of doubt about his party’s chances in the House came in response to a reporter question about what Americans could expect from Congress on abortion rights. Biden said he does not think “they can expect much of anything other than we're going to maintain our positions,” and that there likely will not be enough votes to codify Roe v. Wade.

“I don't think there's enough votes to codify unless something happens unusual in the House,” Biden said.

The better-than-expected midterm results for Democrats have given Biden some momentum as he meets with foreign leaders at the G-20 summit, saying in his remarks Monday that “it’s been clear just how closely the world and our allies and our competitors as well have been following our elections at home.” He said the “strong rejection of election deniers” as well as political violence and voter intimidation in the midterms proved that “democracy is who we are.”

“What these elections showed is that there is a deep and unwavering commitment in America to preserving and protecting and defending democracy,” Biden said.