The departure of Republican Rep. Bill Johnson of Ohio, whose resignation was announced Tuesday, will reduce the House Republican majority to just two seats.
The House Republican majority of four seats fell by two members in the month of December following the ouster of George Santos and the resignation of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Johnson's resignation in November will leave the number of Republicans in Congress at 219, just one more than the 218-seat majority needed for the party to win a majority. (Related: Kevin McCarthy announces retirement from Congress)
Johnson resigned from his position, effective January 21, to become president of Youngstown State University in Ohio. according to To Vindicator. “His contract indicated he would begin before March 15, so we are excited to welcome him to campus sooner than expected,” said University President Michael Peterson. wrote.
After much thought and prayerful consideration, I have accepted the offer to lead Youngstown State University and will not seek an eighth term in Congress. As I've said before, I love my job serving the people of the East, so I wasn't looking for another job.
— Congressman Bill Johnson (@RepBillJohnson) November 21, 2023
The vacancy in the House of Representatives will have to be filled in a special election called in Santos' and McCarthy's old districts. Johnson represents Ohio's 6th Congressional District, which has a partisan bent. R+16according to the Cook Partisan Voting Index.
Ideological divisions in the House Republican Conference, with a narrow majority and some Republicans withholding support on key votes or joining Democrats against the party's majority in 2023. was found to be an impediment to many legislative measures. This included electing and removing Mr. McCarthy from the speakership and voting on several spending bills that were withdrawn from the House floor in November.
With the departure of Santos and McCarthy, there are now 433 members, and the bill would need 217 votes to pass the House. This number will remain unchanged even after Johnson leaves office.
It remains unclear when a special election will be held in Johnson's district. Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine empowered The U.S. Constitution requires a special election to be held in a district if a vacancy occurs, but he did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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