Republicans in the House claim a majority after a win in Arizona, and Florida prepares to schedule special elections to replace representatives appointed by President-elect Donald Trump.
Republicans win 218 U.S. House seats, giving Donald Trump and the party control of government
Republicans have won enough seats to control the U.S. House, completing the party’s sweep into power and securing their hold on U.S. government alongside President-elect Donald Trump.
A House Republican victory in Arizona, alongside a win in slow-counting California earlier Wednesday, gave the GOP the 218 House victories that make up the majority. Republicans earlier gained control of the Senate from Democrats.
With hard-fought, yet thin, majorities, Republican leaders are envisioning a mandate to upend the federal government and swiftly implement Trump’s vision for the country.
The incoming president has promised to carry out the country’s largest-ever deportation operation, extend tax breaks, punish his political enemies, seize control of the federal government’s most powerful tools and reshape the U.S. economy. The GOP election victories ensure that Congress will be on board for that agenda, and Democrats will be almost powerless to check it.
When Trump was elected president in 2016, Republicans also swept Congress, but he still encountered Republican leaders resistant to his policy ideas. Not this time.
When he returns to the White House, Trump will be working with a Republican Party that has been completely transformed by his “Make America Great Again" movement and a Supreme Court dominated by conservative justices, including three that he appointed.
Trump rallied House Republicans at a Capitol Hill hotel Wednesday morning, marking his first return to Washington since the election.
“I suspect I won’t be running again unless you say, ‘He’s good, we got to figure something else,’” Trump said to the room full of lawmakers who laughed in response.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, who with Trump's endorsement won the Republican Conference's nomination to stay on as speaker next year, has talked of taking a “blowtorch” to the federal government and its programs, eyeing ways to overhaul even popular programs championed by Democrats in recent years. The Louisiana Republican, an ardent conservative, has pulled the House Republican Conference closer to Trump during the campaign season as they prepare an “ambitious” 100-day agenda.
“Republicans in the House and Senate have a mandate,” Johnson said earlier this week. “The American people want us to implement and deliver that ‘America First’ agenda.”
Florida prepares for special elections to replace Trump's appointments
After President-elect Donald Trump chose three elected Floridians to join his administration, the state must now work to replace them.
Currently, there will be two special elections, one in the panhandle for Congressional District 1, which, up until recently, was held by Rep. Matt Gaetz. The other is CD 6. Rep. Mike Waltz represented that district. It spans across portions of northeast Central Florida.
Ordering two special elections could take weeks, even months, and state laws could delay a replacement until March, if not later.
“We will have (a) schedule posted soon, and we are working to ensure these special elections are conducted as soon as possible,” Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd said.
Meanwhile, Gov. Ron DeSantis must also appoint a new U.S. Senator. His pick will replace Sen. Marco Rubio, who Trump tapped to become U.S. Secretary of State.
The president-elect is also expected to weigh in on DeSantis’ pick to replace Rubio.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if President Trump got his favorite list," said Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis."I’m sure Gov. DeSantis has his favorite list. I don’t know if they’re comparing notes or not. It seems like both men have an awful lot on their plate.”
DeSantis has yet to release a timeline on when he might appoint a new senator.
Several names are floating around, but whoever gets it will get to serve two years in office, until a special election will be held in 2026. Whoever wins that will serve two more years until Rubio’s original six-year term would have ended in 2028.