The photo-finish victory Tuesday of conservative swashbuckler Juan Ciscomani in Arizona's 6th District brings Republicans the closest so far to the majority they need to rule the House— 217 seats, just one shy of the magic 218 that will give them the speaker's gavel.
There are 15 more races remain unresolved, according to Newsmax projections, with Democrats holding 207 seats.
Ciscomani, son of Mexican immigrants and a father of six, moved audiences with stories of his father rising at 4 a.m. to drive a school bus. Conservative on cultural and economic issues, Ciscomani was a close adviser to Arizona GOP Gov. Doug Ducey.
Liberal Democrat and State Sen. Kirsten Engel hit hard at Ciscomani's pro-life stand and his outspoken support of border security. Like the governor's race and the congressional races in the Greater Phoenix area, the 6th district was overwhelmed with people dropping off their mail-in ballots on the eve of the voting and by a breakdown in several voting machines.
The near-final count gives Ciscomani a lead of roughly 1%.
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
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