Shrinking GOP House majority faces a series of special elections that 'could shift the balance of power'

28 December 2023

By the time 2024 arrives, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-California) will be gone from Congress. But McCarthy's resignation wasn't the only bombshell that rocked the GOP's small single-digit House majority in 2023.

Plagued by scandals, former Rep. George Santos (R-New York) was expelled from the House on December 1. And House Republicans are entering 2024 facing a series of special elections.

Cami Mondeaux, congressional reporter for the conservative Washington Examiner, describes some of them in an article published on December 28.

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These races, Mondeaux notes, "could shift the balance of power in the House — even ahead of the 2024 November elections."

The special elections to keep a close eye on, Mondeaux reports, are taking place in New York's 3rd Congressional District (where Santos served before his expulsion), California's 20th Congressional District (McCarthy's area), Ohio's 6th Congressional District (where GOP Rep. Bill Johnson is expected to leave sometime in March) and New York's 26th Congressional District (where Democratic Rep. Brian Higgins is departing, effective February 2, 2024).

Over the years, McCarthy never had a problem getting reelected — as he in an area of California that is still GOP-friendly (California was a red state before the 1990s). But the race in New York's 3rd Congressional District, which includes Democrat-leaning areas of Queens and Long Island, could be quite competitive.

"The race (to replace Santos) is expected to draw a lot of attention as Democrats aim to flip the seat and narrow the GOP's already-slim majority," Mondeaux explains. "Both parties and their respective candidate committees are already looking at the race and how it will play a role in possibly shifting the balance of power for the remainder of this Congress."

The Examiner reporter adds, "Democrats and Republicans have already chosen their desired nominees, with the special election scheduled for February 13, 2024. Democrats tapped former Rep. Tom Suozzi to run for his old seat, while Republicans chose state legislator Mazi Melesa Pilip, who is seen as a rising star in the party after she was elected in 2021 on a platform largely focused on battling antisemitism and supporting Israel."

The Washington Examiner's full report is available at this link.

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