WASHINGTON—The House Republican Conference on Nov. 12 celebrated retaining a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives following the 2024 general elections.
Going by Decision Desk HQ, this appears to answer the last major question about the composition of the 119th Congress, in which the GOP is now projected to hold a majority in both chambers.
“It is a new day in America. The sun [is] shining, and that’s a reflection about how we all feel,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). “This is a very, very important moment for the country, and we do not take it lightly.”
“On Election Day, Americans sent a clear message to reject the consequences of Democratic control,” said Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), chairman of the House GOP’s campaign and finance arm, the National Republican Congressional Committee.
“They said they couldn’t afford the basics for their family’s needs. They didn’t feel safe in their communities. Their values were under attack.”
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) said the American people gave the GOP “a mandate” to improve their lives.
Johnson and Emmer said the House GOP is prepared to hit the ground running. Johnson noted that the conference was unprepared after Donald Trump first won the presidency in 2016 along with the GOP keeping the House and Senate.
There are “preliminary plans” for Trump, the president-elect, to visit the House ahead of his meeting with President Joe Biden, Johnson said.
The conference in the 118th Congress experienced significant tumult after a group of eight Republicans on Oct. 3, 2023, forced a vote to remove House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from office after just nine months. They succeeded, prompting a chaotic three-week quest to elect a new speaker.
Multiple candidates failed in their bid for the position before Johnson was elected.
Several scandals involving individual members of the conference came to a head, with Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) being expelled from the House. Some members, such as Reps. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) and Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), chose to resign, citing exasperation with the House GOP.
Not every Republican was returned to the House. Several incumbents were defeated in their reelection campaigns, particularly from New York, where Reps. Anthony D'Esposito, Marc Molinaro, and Brandon Williams all lost their seats. Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.) chose not to run for reelection after unfavorable redistricting following a Supreme Court ruling, with Democrats gaining a seat in the new district.
While the conference will take the majority on Jan. 3, 2025, when the 119th Congress is sworn into office, it is expected to be narrower than the projected tally of seats.
Trump’s victory in the 2024 election is expected to lead to several prominent House Republicans being chosen for executive branch positions.
Those members’ expected resignations from the House once Trump takes office on Jan. 20, 2025, will create several vacancies for which special elections won’t immediately be held, thereby reducing the effective majority.
Johnson said that the conference would use its new majority to secure the border, “restore America’s energy dominance once again,” grow the economy, and reduce inflation.
Scalise and Johnson talked about the upcoming vacancies thanks to the appointments of Stefanik and Waltz.
Scalise expressed hope that there will be no more vacancies until there are special elections, while Johnson said he does not expect any more empty seats and that the House GOP is capable of operating without them.
