An Hour-by-Hour Election Night Guide to the House

As the 2016 election unmercifully approaches its end, Republican control of the House isn't in much doubt, but the final margin remains a mystery. The GOP holds a 247 to 188 seat majority, and he Cook Political Report's outlook is a Democratic gain of between 5 and 20 seats. That's not enough to flip control, but the ultimate seat count matters: it could affect the viability of the next president's agenda and even Speaker Paul Ryan's job security. The Cook Political Report rates 37 races as competitive, including 30 Republican seats and 5 Democratic seats. Out of those 36 races, 7 are in our Lean Democratic column, 12 are in our Lean Republican column, and 18 are in Toss Up. Want to know how Paul Ryan's and Nancy Pelosi's night is going? Use the matrix below—ordered by poll closing times—to keep score of how the most competitive races are breaking and look for surprises.