United States: Republicans in the United States House of Representatives will defend a slender 220-213 advantage in the November elections, but they will face their first electoral test on February 13 when the seat formerly held by Republican George Santos is up for grabs.
GEORGE SANTOS’ OLD SEAT
Democrat Tom Suozzi and Republican Mazi Melesa Pilip are set to compete in a February 13 special election for the seat representing New York state’s 3rd Congressional District, which became available after the indicted Santos was ejected from Congress last month.
Suozzi previously held the seat, which includes a small portion of New York City and portions of its eastern suburbs, before retiring to run for governor in 2022, but lost. Pilip, an Ethiopian-born former Israeli paratrooper who is now a county politician, will be his opponent.
The campaign is one of a half-dozen in New York for House seats previously held by Republicans but now sought by Democrats.
BILL JOHNSON’S EXIT
On January 21, the Republican’s narrow majority will shrink down to 219-213, when Bill Johnson, who was elected in 2010, will step down to head a university in Ohio.
On June 11, Voters will pick Republican and Democratic Candidates in a March 19 primary, with a special election for the seat.
The District is overwhelmingly Republican. Two state legislators are running for the Republican nomination.
HEIR TO KEVIN MCCARTHY
Kevin McCarthy was Ousted as House leader by a band of republican rebels who joined with Democrats to boot him from that position before the California 20th District had been held by him. McCarthy resigned from Congress at the end of 2023.
The seat is unlikely to be taken up by Democrats. McCarthy’s resignation, however, has set up a crowded Republican contest to succeed him on March 5, with the outgoing speaker favoring Vince Fong, a former McCarthy staffer and current State Assembly member.
State election officials in California initially claimed Fong was unable to compete for the congressional seat, but a state court ruled in December that he could. McCarthy’s special election has yet to be scheduled in California.
FEDERAL COURT’S DECISION
Alabama has been ordered by the federal court to enact a congressional plan that included the creation of a second predominantly Black district. Democrats will be provided once in a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with this decision to win a seat in the conservative Southern state. Eighteen people have filed to run for the position.
Legal challenges over redistricting might influence congressional districts in as many as ten states, perhaps tipping control of the House.
Lauren Boebert, a firebrand conservative who won an unexpectedly narrow reelection bid in 2022 and was facing a challenging primary opponent in Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, has announced her intention to run in the state’s eastern 4th District instead. That is Colorado’s most Republican District, and it is available after lawmaker Ken Buck announced his intention not to run for reelection.
Aside from Boebert, the March 5 Republican primary will also feature Colorado’s top Republican in the General Assembly, two former state senators, and a radio personality.
In the general election, the Democrats are not expected to compete for the seat.
MARIE GLUESENKAMP RE-ELECTION
Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington state, First-term Democratic Representative, is running for reelection after narrowly defeating her opponent by one percentage point in the first round.
Hoping for a rematch against Perez Joe Kent, who was the lawmaker’s opponent in 2022. Former President Donald Trump endorsed Kent before, has contested the 2020 election results, and advanced conspiracy theories concerning the January 6 attack on the United States Capitol.
The primaries in Washington will be conducted on March 12. Leslie Lewallen, a former prosecutor and member of a local city council, is also running for the Republican nomination.
REMATCH IN OHIO
Majewski had faced off against Kaptur in 2022 when reporting indicated he had fabricated his combat veteran status. Republican J.R. Majewski is trying again to eject Marcy Kaptur, a Democrat who was initially elected in 1982 and who is the longest-serving woman in the House.
The primaries in Ohio will be held on March 19. Craig Riedel, a former state representative, was another Republican candidate who had garnered support ahead of the primary. However, he has now come under fire for critical statements he made about Trump, prompting Elise Stefanik, a key House Republican, to withdraw her endorsement.