
When U.S. Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) was elected as the new House speaker in October, he inherited a razor-thin Republican majority in the chamber. That partisan advantage became even slimmer when Tom Suozzi, a Democrat, emerged as the winner of a special election to replace former Rep. George Santos (R-NY), who was voted out of the House following an ethics investigation.
House Republicans are facing several more threats to its majority before November’s general election. Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) confirmed this week that he would be stepping down in a matter of days, which would leave the GOP with just a five-vote advantage over Democrats.
He had been expected to remain in office until the end of his current term, but confirmed an expedited timeline in a social media post on Tuesday.
“Today, I am announcing that I will depart Congress at the end of next week,” Buck wrote. “I look forward to staying involved in our political process, as well as spending more time in Colorado and with my family.”
A number of upcoming special elections to fill other seats vacated by Republican lawmakers could shrink the party’s lead even further. Additionally, a special election in New York is set for next month and is expected to replace former Rep. Brian Higgins (D-NY) with another Democrat, leaving Republicans with just a 218-214 majority.
NEW: Special election for #NY26 will take place on Tuesday, April 30, Gov. Hochul says. pic.twitter.com/riU0f44Tms
— Luke Parsnow (@coolhand_luke88) February 12, 2024
There is some potentially good news for the GOP, however. The seat vacated by former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who resigned from Congress at the end of last year, is expected to be filled by another Republican, current state Assemblyman Vince Fong, following a special election next week that will determine who serves out the remainder of the current session.
Similarly, a special election will be held in Ohio next week to select a replacement for former Rep. Bill Johnson (R-OH), who stepped down in January in order to accept a position as the president of Youngstown State University. Johnson also represented a solidly Republican district and is expected to be succeeded by a member of his own party.
As of the latest updates available, Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis had not yet confirmed a date for the special election to replace Buck.