Instead of their projected gains, Democrats lost at least nine House seats in the 2020 election, leaving them with just 222 seats to Republicans' 211. And with the appointments of Reps. Marcia Fudge (D-Ohio) and Cedric Richmond (D-La.) to top Biden administration positions, Democrats will be left with their smallest majority in more than a century, Politico reports.
Shortly after the election, President-elect Joe Biden chose Richmond to lead his Office of Public Engagement. And on Tuesday, Biden announced Fudge would be his nominee to head the Department of Housing and Urban Development. That would leave Democrats with just 220 seats in the House once the next Congress is sworn in, and their margin over the GOP could shrink even more when the last two House races are called. As Politico's Jake Sherman notes, that's the smallest majority Democrats have had since 1893, and could make it harder for Democrats to win relief negotiations they're expected to hold early next year.
Fudge and Richmond's seats are both in safely blue districts, so the Democratic majority will likely grow again once special elections are held to replace them. But when asked about keeping the Democratic caucus united for a few months, Fudge didn't seem incredibly confident. "I just have to hope that we can hold together long enough to make sure that something like that would happen if I should leave," she told Politico.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Nepal chooses toddler as its new ‘living goddess’Under the Radar Girls between two and four are typically chosen to live inside the temple as the Kumari – until puberty strikes
-
October 5 editorial cartoonsCartoons Sunday's political cartoons include half-truth hucksters, Capitol lockdown, and more
-
Jaguar Land Rover’s cyber bailoutTalking Point Should the government do more to protect business from the ‘cyber shockwave’?
-
US tipped to help Kyiv strike Russian energy sitesSpeed Read Trump has approved providing Ukraine with intelligence for missile strikes on Russian energy infrastructure
-
Netanyahu agrees to Trump’s new Gaza peace planSpeed Read At President Trump's meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, they agreed upon a plan to end Israel’s war in Gaza
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Moldova gives decisive win to pro-EU partySpeed Read The country is now on track to join the European Union within five years
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
UK, 3 Western allies recognize Palestinian stateSpeed Read Britain, Canada, Australia and Portugal formally recognized the state of Palestine
-
Russia slams Kyiv, hits government buildingSpeed Read This was Moscow's largest aerial assault since launching its full-scale invasion in 2022
-
China's Xi hosts Modi, Putin, Kim in challenge to USSpeed Read Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other Asian leaders at an SCO summit
