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Mike Johnson is facing a new challenge as the Republican speaker with the smallest House majority in history. Although he maintained control of the House, he now has an even smaller majority. This comes at a critical time when President-elect Donald J. Trump will rely on his support to push forward key agenda items.
Written by Catie Edmondson
Sending updates from the Capitol
The margin of victory for Speaker Mike Johnson has decreased further, making his majority even more tenuous.
The last House race was decided on Tuesday evening when Representative John Duarte from California, a new Republican member, accepted defeat to Democrat Adam Gray. This victory solidified a 220-215 majority for Republicans, which is even narrower than their current majority of 220-213.
The margins will shrink more in January when Representatives Elise Stefanik from New York and Mike Waltz from Florida step down to work in the Trump administration. Former Representative Matt Gaetz from Florida 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 stand together against a proposal, Mr. Johnson will need every Republican to support it until the 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 they are experienced in working with a small majority, as it is something they are used to.
He mentioned that they have no extra resources to give, but everyone in the group is aware of this. They discussed the importance of working together as a team and emphasized the need for everyone to contribute and work towards the same goal.
He didn’t say that a big part of his ability to manage a small majority in the past year came from working with Democrats to pass important laws that his own party didn’t back. This strategy might not work in the next Congress with President-elect Donald J. Trump in office.
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