House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) Wednesday praised Greg Walden (R-Ore.), chairman of the Republican Congressional Committee, for minimizing the seats lost in the House.
While some were estimating before the election that the GOP could lose a couple dozen seats, the losses were only a handful--with two races uncalled in California Wednesday midday, Republicans had only lost six seats, so that would mean at most 8 seats lost.
As chair of the committee, Walden raised money and strategized to help keep as many seats as possible.
Ryan also gave president-elect Donald Trump credit for the seats won and preserved.
Walden's success could boost his chances of getting the chairmanship of the House Energy & Commerce Committee. Current chair Fred Upton (R-Mich.) is term limited and will have to give up the chair, as will Walden his chairmanship of the Communications Subcommittee.
Ryan said that he and Trump would work "hand to hand on a positive agenda."
