PoliticusUSA

PoliticusUSA

Mike Johnson Could Be Toast Before The Midterm As House Republicans Are Dropping Like Flies

House Republicans now have no margin for error after the unexpected death of a member of their caucus, but Speaker Mike Johnson is counting on God to save his majority this flu season.

Jason Easley's avatar
Jason Easley
Jan 07, 2026
∙ Paid

Here at PoliticusUSA, we discussed the possibility that House Republicans could lose their majority before the midterm election due to resignations, retirements, unexpected members getting sick and passing away. Democrats are going to gain two House seats. The first one will be filled in a special election in a Houston, Texas district at the end of January. The second seat is the former seat of now Gov. Sherrill in NJ, and will be filled by an April special election.

The remaining term of former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene won’t be filled until a March 10th Georgia special election.

PoliticusUSA is beholden to no political party or special interest. We are 100% independent. Support our work by becoming a subscriber.

Republicans currently have exactly 218 votes in the House. 216 votes are currently needed to pass legislation. With one House Republican out due to a car accident, the Republican margin for error is about as close to zero as possible without losing the majority.

During his weekly press conference, Speaker Mike Johnson was asked about potentially losing the House majority before the midterms, and he answered:

 We do this, it’s a very simple thing, okay?

This is not the acumen of Speaker Johnson or necessarily all the teamwork of the Republican Conference. This is because I’m gonna be very honest with you. I’m a person of deep faith and, we trust in God. That is our national motto. Um, and we act upon that. I put up one slide this morning at the end of conference, and it’s a favorite that I have on my phone and I share it with everybody, and it’s an image of the Red Sea parting.

Story continues below.

User's avatar

Continue reading this post for free, courtesy of Sarah Jones & Jason Easley.

Or purchase a paid subscription.
© 2026 PoliticusUSA LLC · Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start your SubstackGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture