Update: Congressional Vacancies, Special Elections
March 25, 2025
In the House, Republicans hold one of the
narrowest majorities in congressional history with a margin at
218-213, including four vacancies, two for Democrats and two for Republicans.
Why it matters: Republicans can only afford to lose tw0 party members on any given vote if all members are present and all Democrats oppose. However, upcoming special elections likely will help bolster the GOP majority.
What’s next: On April 1, Florida will hold two special elections to fill the seats of Former Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and Mike Waltz (R-FL) in Florida’s 1st and 6th districts, both of whom resigned to join the Trump administration.
- Waltz became National Security Advisor, while Gaetz originally was nominated for Attorney General before withdrawing.
- Both of these special elections are widely expected to go for the Republicans, which will pad Speaker Johnson’s majority, albeit temporarily.
Among Democrats, two lawmakers died this month. Rep. Slyvester Turner (D-TX) passed away on March 5 and Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) passed away on March 13. There will be special elections to fill these seats, but those are not expected until this fall.
Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) is expected to
resign to become President Donald Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations as soon as the new GOP lawmakers are sworn in. This will
bring the Republican majority back to a two-seat margin.
Contact
James Montfort at (
Jmontfort@crefc.org) with any questions.