Johnson Laments One-Vote Power Margin: Do The Math

The Hill reports:

House Republicans will have zero room for error in the 119th Congress — literally. That slim edge is already one of the closest in history. And it is set to narrow even more — and quickly — putting Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and his leadership team in a bind as they chart lofty goals for the next two years.

“Do the math,” Johnson told reporters Wednesday morning. “We have nothing to spare.” That leaves a zero-vote margin for the Republican conference on party-line votes, assuming full attendance, making delayed flights and illnesses critical to legislative business.

If next year, for example, all House Democrats vote against a GOP-led measure and one Republican breaks from the party and votes with Democrats, the final tally would be 216-216 — sinking the GOP effort, since a tie loses in the lower chamber.

Read the full article. As we saw during the tumultuous ouster of Kevin McCarthy, that one-vote margin will embolden the fringiest of fringe reps to demand concessions and power to keep them in line with Johnson’s agenda.