Republicans Down to the Wire With a Temporary Zero-Seat Majority

At the start of the new Congress, Republicans can’t afford to lose a single House vote. Just one resignation or defection could cost them the majority.

House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks on Capitol Hill, on Nov. 19, 2024. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

WASHINGTON—The final federal contest of the 2024 election was the race in California’s 13th District in the San Francisco Bay Area for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. In that race, Rep. John Duarte (R-Calif.) conceded to the Democratic Party’s nominee Adam Gray, who was declared the winner on Dec. 4 by a margin of just 187 votes.

It was the last of several pickups in the House of Representatives for Democrats—who gained new seats across California as well as in Oregon, Alabama, Louisiana, and New York—in an otherwise dismal election year for their party.