CNN
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Republican Congressman John Duarte has conceded to Democratic challenger Adam Gray in California’s 13th Congressional District, Duarte campaign spokesman Duane DiChiara confirmed to CNN.
Five counties in the district certified their results Tuesday, giving Gray a 187-vote lead.
This was the last open House election in the country, with Gray’s victory giving Republicans 220 seats and Democrats 215. Overall, the Democratic Party gained one seat from its pre-election total.
The Republican majority is likely to get even tighter early next year. Former Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz resigned from the House of Representatives last month and will not hold a seat in the new Congress. Republican Reps. Elise Stefanik of New York and Mike Walz of Florida are expected to leave the chamber to take up positions in the Trump administration.
If all three seats become vacant at once, a 217-215 majority means Republicans cannot afford to lose a single member on a partisan vote.
Gray, a former California congressman, is running for the Central Valley seat for the second time after losing to Duarte by 564 votes two years ago in one of the nation’s closest House races. was. The seat, won by Joe Biden by 11 points in 2020, was a top target for Democrats this year.
Speaker Mike Johnson acknowledged Wednesday that House Republicans “cannot afford” an even narrower margin in 2025 to pass President-elect Donald Trump’s ambitious agenda.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson acknowledged that the final vote was 220-215, although he said some legal challenges were possible.
“Do the math. We can’t afford it,” Johnson said.
By early 2025, President Trump’s Cabinet reshuffle will leave three vacancies, and the gap will be even smaller. Johnson said he hopes to have these seats filled by “late spring” and raised the issue with Senate Republicans during a meeting with them on Tuesday.
Asked about navigating Republican policy through such narrow margins, Johnson said: “We know how to work with a small majority here. That’s what we’re used to.” Ta.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
