California Democrat flips final House seat, giving Republicans slim majority
ABC projects that Democrat Adam Gray will win the race for California’s 13th Congressional District, unseating incumbent Republican John Duarte and flipping the last unresolved seat in the 2024 election.
With 435 House races projected, ABC News estimates that Republicans will hold 220 seats and Democrats 215 in the 119th Congress.
But it’s unclear how vacancies — or illnesses or other absences — will impact the day-to-day division of power when the House convenes on Jan. 3.
President-elect Donald Trump initially tapped three House Republicans for positions in his next administration: Florida Reps. Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz, and New York Rep. Elise Stefanik. Gaetz has already resigned from Congress and last month withdrew his bid to become President-elect Donald Trump’s attorney general position. And although he was re-elected to his seat last month, he said he would not serve another term.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson speaks during a press conference at the Capitol in Washington, DC, December 4, 2024.
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Republicans could have a 217-215 majority with their seats vacant — the narrowest Republican majority in history — and special elections to fill those seats could take months.
In this case, any Republican can hold Johnson hostage: losing a single Republican on a vote would result in a 216-216 tie.
The U.S. Capitol Christmas tree, an 80-foot Sitka spruce from Alaska’s Tongass National Forest, stands during the lighting of the Capitol Christmas tree in Washington, Dec. 3, 2024 .
Benoît Tessier/Reuters
The speaker acknowledged the slim majority, which could pose a challenge to the adoption of Trump’s agenda.
“Well, as we do every day here, we have developed expertise in this area. We know how to work with a small majority. It’s our custom now,” Johnson said. “So, yeah, do the math. We can, we have nothing to spare. But all of our members know that we talked about it today, as we do all the time, that this is a team effort that we all need to be rowing in the same direction.
But several senior Democrats have recently missed votes, which could give Republicans a little more breathing room next year.
In this May 26, 2020, file photo, Rep. Adam Gray, D-Merced, addresses the Assembly at the Capitol in Sacramento, California.
Riche Pedroncelli/AP, FILE
In California’s 13th District, Duarte conceded to Gray on Tuesday, according to the Turlock Journal.
“I’m a citizen legislator and I didn’t plan to stay in Congress forever,” Duarte told the newspaper. “But whenever I think I can make a difference, I will consider public service in different forms, including running for Congress again.”
Gray pulled out a win statement about On Tuesday evening, he expressed his gratitude and said “the final results confirm that this district is ready for independent, responsible leadership that always puts Valley residents ahead of partisan politics.”
– ABC News’ Marilyn Heck and Benjamin Siegel contributed to this report.
