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Republicans are clinging to a razor-thin 218-213 House majority.
But House Speaker Mike Johnson should not count on many reinforcements anytime quickly.
This month’s stunning early House retirement of MAGA firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and the surprising demise of Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa of California additional shrunk the GOP’s margins in the chamber.
And that has House GOP leaders conserving a decent leash on the occasion’s rank and file members.
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Rep. Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, holds the gavel after being re-elected House Speaker, on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025 at the U.S. Capitol. (Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“They’d better be here,” Johnson recently said of his members. “I told everybody, and not in jest, I said, no adventure sports, no risk-taking, take your vitamins. Stay healthy and be here.”
And House Majority Whip Tom Emmer’s workplace confirmed it’s advising members that “outside of life-and-death circumstances,” they count on Republican lawmakers to be on Capitol Hill.
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There are presently 4 vacant House districts, which implies 4 particular elections to fill the seats. But it is the Democrats fairly than the Republicans who will doubtless profit extra from the poll field ends in the brief run.
Here’s a take a look at the particular elections which are on deck:
Jan. 31
Voters in Texas’ Democrat-dominated 18th Congressional District, which is anchored by downtown Houston and surrounding areas, head to the polls on the final day of January to select a successor to fill the seat left vacant when Rep. Sylvester Turner died final March.
Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner of Texas died on March 5, 2025. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
Democrats Christian Menefee, a former attorney for Houston’s Harris County, and former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards are facing off in the special election. They were the top two finishers in a field of 16 candidates that faced off in an initial election in November.
While Texas has redrawn its congressional maps for the 2026 midterms, as part of the high-stakes redistricting battle between President Donald Trump and Republicans versus Democrats, the special election will use the state’s current district lines.
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The winner of the particular election will give the Democrats one further House member, giving Republican management additional complications.
Feb. 5
Eleven candidates are operating in the Democratic Party major in New Jersey’s eleventh Congressional District.
The seat was left vacant after now New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill stepped down after successful November’s gubernatorial election in the Garden State.
Then-Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill stepped down from Congress in November after successful election as New Jersey governor. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg by way of Getty Images)
The winner of the Democratic major will face off with Randolph Mayor Joe Hathaway, the solely Republican to file for the particular election, which will probably be held on April 16.
The suburban district in northern New Jersey leans to the left, with Sherrill successful re-election in 2024 by 15 factors, the identical margin she carried the district in November’s gubernatorial showdown.
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But then-Vice President Kamala Harris gained the district by simply eight factors in the 2024 presidential election, giving the GOP some hopes of presumably flipping the seat.
March 10
A whopping 22 candidates, together with 17 Republicans, are operating in a particular election in the 14th Congressional District, in the race to succeed Greene.
Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene resigned from Congress on Jan. 5, 2026. (Christian Monterrosa/Bloomberg by way of Getty Images)
According to Georgia state regulation, all the candidates will run on the identical poll. If no contender tops 50% of the vote, a runoff election between the prime two finishers will happen on April 7.
The district in northwestern Georgia is solidly Republican, with Greene successful re-election in 2024 by practically 30 factors and Trump carrying the district by 37 factors.
June 2
Primary Day in California for the 2026 elections can even embody a major for the particular election in the state’s 1st Congressional District, in the race to fill LaMalfa’s seat. The normal election will probably be held on Aug. 4.
Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa of California died on Jan. 6, 2026. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc by way of Getty Images)
The district, in northeastern California, is solidly Republican.
Similar to Texas, California can also be altering its congressional maps as a part of the redistricting wars, however the particular election will probably be held beneath the present district strains.
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The White House and congressional Republicans criticized the determination by Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom to not maintain a particular election to fill LaMalfa’s seat till August, six months after the late congressman’s demise.
But Democrats equally complained about Republican Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas not scheduling the particular election to fill Turner’s seat till eight months after the late lawmaker died.
Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkins contributed to this story.
Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based mostly in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the marketing campaign path from coast to coast.”
