Now that virtually all votes have been counted, there are countless ways to dissect what happened. And while Republicans are almost certain to wind up with an historic majority of 247 seats (pending Saturday's Louisiana runoffs and a recount in Arizona), the seat count isn't the only number that matters.

The fissures in the House GOP over voting to block President Obama's executive order on immigration, as well as the so-called "Cromnibus" plan to keep the government open, are a fresh reminder of what different election results can mean for different members. A Republican who just experienced a close general election may want to tack towards the center, while a Republican who just made it through a close primary probably wants to shore up his or her right flank.

What's striking about this November's results isn't just that the House GOP majority is growing; it's that it enjoys a record sense of November security. Consider this: in 2010, 42 of the 242 Republicans who prevailed (17 percent) won by a margin of less than 10 percent. In 2012, 30 of

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