The Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives narrowed further this week after Democrat Christian Menefee won a special election in Texas’s 18th Congressional District, reducing the GOP’s slim margin in the chamber.
Menefee, a former Harris County attorney, secured the seat in a runoff election to fill a vacancy that had stood for nearly a year, following the death of the previous Democratic member. His victory will take effect once he is sworn into Congress, tightening the balance of power in the House and complicating the legislative agenda for Republican leadership.
Before the election, Republicans held a 218-213 majority. With the addition of Menefee’s seat, that margin shrinks slightly, leaving House GOP leaders with even less room for defections on closely contested votes.
The outcome underscores ongoing national political dynamics as both parties prepare for the 2026 midterm elections, with several other special House races scheduled later this year that could further affect party control.
“They’d better be here,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., recently said of his members. “I told everybody, and not in jest, I said, no adventure sports, no risk-taking, take your vitamins. Stay healthy and be here.”
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer’s office confirmed it advises members that, “outside of life-and-death circumstances,” they expect Republican lawmakers to be present on Capitol Hill, Fox News reported.
Republican lawmakers have expressed concern about maintaining unity and attendance on key votes amid the narrower majority, while Democratic leaders have pointed to the special election result as evidence of competitive momentum, though the seat has long been in the party’s hands.
This year, there are three additional special congressional elections scheduled. In the Democratic Party primary for New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District, which will take place on February 5, eleven candidates are competing.
The vacancy was created when Mikie Sherrill, who is now the Governor of New Jersey, stepped down after winning the gubernatorial election in November.
A total of 22 candidates are competing in a special election for Georgia’s 14th Congressional District to succeed former Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene. Among them, 17 are Republicans. Greene, a prominent figure in the MAGA movement and a former ally of President Trump in the House, resigned from Congress four weeks ago, leaving a year remaining in her term.
Meanwhile, Republican Rep. Vern Buchanan announced Tuesday that he will retire at the end of his current term, ending a two-decade career in the U.S. House of Representatives. Buchanan, 74, represents Florida’s 16th Congressional District and is a senior member of the House Ways and Means Committee.
Buchanan was first elected to Congress in 2006 and has served continuously since 2007. During his tenure, he held leadership roles on the tax-writing committee and its health subcommittee and backed major legislation on tax, trade, and health policy.
In a statement, Buchanan said serving his southwest Florida district “has been the honor of a lifetime” and that after 20 years in office, “it’s the right time to pass the torch and begin a new chapter.”
“Serving the people of Southwest Florida has been the honor of my lifetime,” said Buchanan. “Every achievement worth doing began with listening to my constituents and fighting for their priorities. I came to Congress to solve problems, to fight for working families and to help ensure this country remains a place where opportunity is available to everyone willing to work for it. After 20 years of service, I believe it’s the right time to pass the torch and begin a new chapter in my life.”
A statement from his office added:
Beyond economic and health policy, Buchanan became one of Congress’s leading advocates for animal welfare. His bipartisan legislation to ban animal cruelty and torture nationwide was signed into law in 2019, marking one of the most significant federal animal-protection reforms in U.S. history. He is the only member of the U.S. House of Representatives to receive the Humane Society’s national “Legislator of the Year Award” twice.
