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Mike Johnson is facing a new challenge as the Republican speaker with the smallest House majority in history. Despite maintaining control of the House, he will have to lead with a smaller majority as President-elect Donald J. Trump looks to him for support in passing important agenda items.
Written by Catie Edmondson
Reporting live from the Capitol building
The margin of victory for Speaker Mike Johnson has decreased even further, making his majority even more precarious.
The final House race results were announced on Tuesday night when Representative John Duarte, a new Republican member from California, admitted defeat to Democrat Adam Gray. This victory solidified a 220-215 majority for the Republicans, which is only slightly larger than their current margin of 220-213.
In January, the margins will decrease even more 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.
The Republicans will have a slim majority of 217-215 in the House, which is one of the smallest margins of control in history. As long as all Democrats are present and united in their opposition, Mr. Johnson cannot afford to lose any support from his party on the House floor until the vacancies are filled. Even after the vacancies are filled, only up to three Republicans can go against party lines without risking the failure of a bill.
On Wednesday, Mr. Johnson appeared unconcerned about the situation and confidently stated to reporters on Capitol Hill that they are experienced in handling a small majority and that it is something they are accustomed to.
He mentioned that they have no extra resources to allocate. However, all members are aware of this fact. They discussed this during their meeting today, emphasizing the importance of working together as a team and moving forward in unity.
He didn’t talk about how he achieved success in handling a small majority by working with Democrats to pass important bills that his own party didn’t support. This strategy may not work in the future with President-elect Donald J. Trump in office.
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