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Mike Johnson is facing a new challenge as he now has the smallest House majority in history. Despite remaining as the Republican speaker, he will have to oversee a smaller majority during a time when President-elect Donald J. Trump will rely on his support to push through important agenda items.
Written by Catie Edmondson
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The margin of victory for Speaker Mike Johnson has decreased.
The last House race was officially decided on Tuesday evening when Representative John Duarte from California, a first-term Republican, admitted defeat to Democrat Adam Gray. This solidified a 220-215 Republican majority in the House, which is even narrower than their current 220-213 majority.
In January, the margins will decrease even more as Representatives Elise Stefanik and Mike Waltz step down from their positions to work in the Trump administration. Another former representative, Matt Gaetz, has also announced that he will not be coming back.
After the special election, 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 present and voting in order to pass a bill 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 unconcerned about the situation and reassured reporters on Capitol Hill that they are experienced in working with a narrow majority. He emphasized that it is something they are used to.
He stated that they do not have any extra resources to spare, but all members of the team are aware of this. They discussed this today and regularly emphasize the importance of working together towards the same goal.
He didn’t say that a big part of his success in managing a small majority over the past year came from working with Democrats to pass important laws that his own party didn’t back. This strategy may not work as well in the future with President-elect Donald J. Trump leading the country.
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