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Mike Johnson is facing a new challenge as he leads the House with the smallest majority in history. Despite being the Republican speaker, he will have to navigate a smaller margin of control during a time when President-elect Donald J. Trump will rely on his support to push forward important agenda items.
Written by Catie Edmondson
Reporting live from the government building
The margin of victory for Speaker Mike Johnson has decreased even further.
The final House race was decided on Tuesday night when Representative John Duarte, a first-term Republican from California, conceded to Democrat Adam Gray. This solidified a slim majority of 220-215 for the Republicans, which is even narrower than their current majority of 220-213.
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 he will not be coming back.
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 are present and vote against a measure, Mr. Johnson will need every Republican vote to pass the bill until the vacancies are filled. Even after the vacancies are filled, only three Republicans can vote against a bill without causing it to fail.
On Wednesday, Mr. Johnson appeared unconcerned about the possibility and confidently stated to reporters on Capitol Hill that they are experienced in working with a small majority and it is something they are used to.
He stated that there is no room for extra resources. All members are aware of this and have discussed it frequently. The importance of working together as a team and moving in the same direction was emphasized.
He didn’t talk about how he achieved success in managing a narrow majority by working with Democrats to pass important laws that his own party didn’t support. This strategy may not be possible in the future with Donald J. Trump as President in the upcoming Congress.
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