Fudge's HUD appointment leaves Democrats with their smallest House majority in a century

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.

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