The Democratic Party welcomed its newest member to the House on Monday, bringing their caucus back to 213 members and reducing the Republican majority to just one vote. Representative Tim Kennedy (D-NY) was sworn in after winning a special election to fill the seat previously held by Rep. Brian Higgins. Kennedy expressed gratitude for the opportunity to serve and pledged to work towards positive change for the country. With Kennedy’s addition, the House now has 430 members and the Republican majority is at 217-213, leaving little room for error on party-line votes. Kennedy will also be running in the primary election for a full term next Congress, facing competition from former Democratic candidate Nate McMurray. The winner of the primary is expected to win the general election in November. This shift in House dynamics adds to the challenges for Speaker Johnson, who must navigate through multiple vacancies, including those left by resigning and deceased representatives. While some seats are not expected to be highly contested, Republicans may gain a bit more breathing room once all vacancies are filled. Until then, Johnson will need to carefully navigate tensions within his party as he faces resistance from hard-line members.
