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Mike Johnson is facing a new challenge as the Republican speaker with the smallest House majority in history. Despite maintaining control of the House, he will now have an even tighter grip on power at a crucial time when President-elect Donald J. Trump will rely on his support to push through key agenda items.
Written by Catie Edmondson
Reporting live from the Capitol building
The margin of victory for Speaker Mike Johnson has decreased even further.
The final House race was decided on Tuesday when Representative John Duarte from California, a new Republican member, accepted defeat to Adam Gray, a Democrat. This solidified a 220-215 majority for the Republicans, which is even narrower than their current 220-213 majority.
In January, the margins will decrease even more as Representatives Elise Stefanik from New York and Mike Waltz from Florida step down to join the Trump administration. Additionally, former Representative Matt Gaetz from Florida has announced that he will not be returning.
After the special election, the Republicans will have a slim majority of 217-215 in the House, which is one of the smallest margins in history. If all Democrats oppose a measure, Mr. Johnson will need every Republican to support it in order for it to pass until the vacancies are filled. Even after the vacancies are filled, only three Republicans can vote against a bill without it failing.
On Wednesday, Mr. Johnson appeared calm and unconcerned about the situation, stating to journalists at Capitol Hill that they are experienced in working with a slim majority and it is something they are used to.
He stated that they have no extra resources to give, but all members are aware of this. They discussed this today and regularly emphasize the importance of working together as a team towards a common goal.
He didn’t talk about the fact that a lot of his ability to work with a small majority in the past year came from working with Democrats to pass important laws that his own party didn’t support. This may not be an option for him in the future with President-elect Donald J. Trump as the new President.
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