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Mike Johnson is facing a new challenge as he has the smallest majority in the House’s history. Despite being the Republican speaker, he will have to lead with an even smaller majority, especially when President-elect Donald J. Trump will rely on his support to push through 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 last House race was officially decided on Tuesday evening when Representative John Duarte, a first-term Republican from California, acknowledged his defeat to Democrat Adam Gray. This victory solidified a narrow 220-215 majority for the Republicans, which is only slightly larger than their current 220-213 majority.
The margins will decrease even more in January as Representatives Elise Stefanik from New York and Mike Waltz from Florida step down to work in the Trump administration. Additionally, former Representative Matt Gaetz from Florida has announced 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 vote against a bill and are present, Mr. Johnson will need every Republican to support it until vacant seats are filled. Even after the vacancies are filled, only three Republicans can oppose a bill without it failing.
On Wednesday, Mr. Johnson appeared unconcerned about the situation and assured reporters on Capitol Hill that dealing with a small majority is something they are familiar with and know how to handle.
He stated that there is no extra resources available. All members are aware of this and it is a constant topic of discussion within the group. He emphasized the importance of teamwork and everyone working together towards the same goal.
He didn’t bring up the fact that a big part of his ability to handle a small majority in the past year was by teaming up with Democrats to get important laws passed that his own party didn’t back. This strategy may not work in the future with President-elect Donald J. Trump in office.
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