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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 navigate a smaller majority during a crucial time when President-elect Donald J. Trump will rely on his support to push through important agenda items.
Written by Catie Edmondson
Covering news from the Capitol
The margin of victory for Speaker Mike Johnson has decreased.
The final House race was decided on Tuesday night when Representative John Duarte from California, a new member of the Republican Party, accepted defeat against Democrat Adam Gray. This victory solidified a 220-215 majority for the Republicans, which is just slightly larger than their current majority of 220-213.
In January, the margins will decrease even more as Representatives Elise Stefanik of New York and Mike Waltz of Florida leave their positions to work in the Trump administration. Former Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida has also announced that he will not be coming back.
At the moment, 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 not be able to lose any support from his party on the House floor until vacancies are filled. Even after the vacancies are filled, only three Republicans can go against the party without causing a bill to fail.
On Wednesday, Mr. Johnson appeared unconcerned about the situation and assured reporters on Capitol Hill that they are experienced in working with a small majority and it is something they are used to.
He mentioned that there are no extra resources available. All members are aware of this and it was discussed during the meeting today, as it always is. It was emphasized that teamwork is essential and everyone must work together towards a common goal.
He didn’t talk about the fact that a large part of his success in managing a small majority over the past year has come from working with Democrats to pass necessary bills that his own party didn’t want to support. This strategy may not be possible in the next Congress with President-elect Donald J. Trump in power.
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