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Mike Johnson is facing a new challenge with the smallest House majority in history. Although the Republican speaker was able to maintain control of the House, he now has to manage an even smaller majority. This comes at a time when President-elect Donald J. Trump will require his support to push through important agenda items.
Written by Catie Edmondson.
Live coverage from the government building
The margin of victory for Speaker Mike Johnson has decreased, making his majority even more precarious.
The final House race was concluded on Tuesday night when Representative John Duarte, a freshman Republican from California, conceded to Democrat Adam Gray. This victory solidified a 220-215 majority for the Republicans, although the margin was even narrower than their current 220-213 majority.
In January, the margins will decrease even more when Representatives Elise Stefanik of New York and Mike Waltz of Florida step down to join the Trump administration. Additionally, former Representative Matt Gaetz of 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 closest margins in history. If all Democrats are present and united in their opposition, Mr. Johnson will not be able to lose any support from his party until the vacancies are filled. Even after the vacancies are filled, only three Republicans can vote against a bill without it failing.
On Wednesday, Mr. Johnson seemed unconcerned about the possibility and assured reporters on Capitol Hill that they are experienced in working with a small majority. He mentioned that it is standard practice for them.
He also mentioned that there is no excess to share among the members, but they are already aware of that. It was discussed during their meeting today, as it is a recurring topic, emphasizing the importance of teamwork and unity in working towards a common goal.
He didn’t talk about how he achieved success in handling a small majority in the past year by working with Democrats to pass essential laws that his own party didn’t support. This strategy may not work in the next Congress with Donald J. Trump as President.
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