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Mike Johnson is facing a new challenge with the smallest House majority in history. Despite holding onto control of the House, the Republican speaker will have to lead with an even smaller majority. This comes at 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 government
The margin of victory for Speaker Mike Johnson has decreased.
Tuesday night marked the conclusion of the final House race when Representative John Duarte of California, a first-term Republican, admitted defeat to Democrat Adam Gray. This solidified a 220-215 majority for Republicans, which was only slightly larger than their current margin of 220-213.
The margins will decrease even more in January when Representatives Elise Stefanik from New York and Mike Waltz from Florida leave their positions to work in the Trump administration. Additionally, former Representative Matt Gaetz from Florida has announced that he will not be coming back.
After the special election, Republicans will have a slim majority of 217-215 in the House of Representatives, which is one of the closest margins in history. If all Democrats stand together against a bill, Mr. Johnson will need every Republican to support it until the vacant seats are filled. Even after the seats are filled, only three Republicans can vote against a bill without it failing.
On Wednesday, Mr. Johnson appeared unconcerned about the idea and assured reporters on Capitol Hill that they are experienced in working with a narrow majority. This is something they are accustomed to.
He stated that there are no extra resources available. However, everyone in the group is aware of this. They discussed this during their meeting today and regularly emphasize the importance of working together towards a common goal.
He didn’t talk about how he achieved success in handling a small majority by working with Democrats to pass important legislation that his own party did not support. This strategy may not be possible in the future with President-elect Donald J. Trump in office.
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