Prom
Backed by
Mike Johnson is facing a new challenge as the Republican speaker with the smallest majority in history in the House. Despite maintaining control, he now has to lead with an even smaller margin, just when President-elect Donald J. Trump will rely on his support to push through key agenda items.
Written by Catie Edmondson
Covering news from the seat
The margin of Speaker Mike Johnson’s majority has decreased even further.
The last House race was decided on Tuesday evening when Representative John Duarte, a new Republican, admitted defeat to Democrat Adam Gray. This victory solidified a 220-215 majority for Republicans, which is even tighter than their current margin of 220-213.
The margins will decrease even more in January as Representatives Elise Stefanik of New York and Mike Waltz of Florida leave their positions to work in the Trump administration. Additionally, former Representative Matt Gaetz of Florida has announced that 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 oppose a bill, Mr. Johnson cannot have any Republicans vote against it until the vacant seats are filled. Even after the seats are filled, only three Republicans can vote against a bill without it failing to pass.
On Wednesday, Mr. Johnson appeared calm and unaffected by the situation, stating to reporters in Capitol Hill that they are accustomed to working with a slim majority and know how to handle it.
He stated that they do not have any extra resources to spare, but all of their team members are aware of this. They discussed this concept during their meeting today, and it is a recurring theme in their discussions – emphasizing the importance of working together as a team towards a common goal.
He didn’t talk about how he achieved success in managing a small majority by working with Democrats to pass important laws that his party didn’t back. This strategy may not work in the future with President-elect Donald J. Trump in office.
We are experiencing difficulties accessing the content of the article.
To use this website properly, make sure to turn on JavaScript
We appreciate your understanding as we confirm your access. If you are currently using Reader mode, please close it and sign in to your Times account, or consider subscribing to access all of The Times content.
We appreciate your understanding as we confirm access.
Are you already a member? Please sign in.
Interested in accessing all the content from The Times? Subscribe now to
Prom
Index of the website
Navigation information for the website