Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick won Tuesday's special election in Florida's safely Democratic 20th Congressional District, defeating Republican nominee Jason Mariner 79 percent to 20 percent. Cherfilus-McCormick will be sworn in as soon as Florida's secretary of state certifies the results, giving Democrats a 222-212 advantage in the House, effectively meaning House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) can pass legislation without the votes of four Democrats rather than three.
Cherfilus-McCormick will be Florida's first Haitian-American member of Congress. She replaces the late Alcee Hastings, the long-serving Democratic congressman who died from pancreatic cancer in April. "Local Democrats have been frustrated over the 280-day gap between his passing and the special election called by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) — timing that left the House majority one seat down most of the year," The Washington Post reports.
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There is still one vacancy in the House, left by Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) when he resigned last week to join former President Donald Trump's nascent media company. California will hold a primary in the district in April.
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