House Speaker Mike Johnson is set to receive a short-term reprieve as Republicans hold a razor-thin majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Republican Rep.-elect Clay Fuller of Georgia is expected to be sworn in on Tuesday after defeating Democrat Shawn Harris in a special election for Georgia’s 14th Congressional District. The northwest Georgia seat was vacated in early January when Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene resigned following a public falling-out with former President Donald Trump.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., gestures as he meets with reporters ahead of a key procedural vote to end the partial government shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026.
The special election was contested while the GOP maintained a fragile four-seat edge in the House. President Donald Trump carried the district by a substantial margin in 2024, and Fuller won the runoff by roughly 12 points, a result party leaders say reinforces their hold on the chamber.
Speaker Johnson welcomed Fuller’s victory, saying the conference looks forward to "welcoming him to our House Republican Conference and adding another strong member to our small but consequential majority." Fuller, a former local district attorney and a lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard who has served in the Air Force since 2009, described his win as a key reinforcement and said he was eager to return to Washington to "get to work and fight for Georgia."
Republican congressional candidate Clay Fuller speaks after his victory in the special election runoff in Georgia's 14th District, on April 7, 2026, in Ringgold, Georgia.
What This Means For The Balance Of Power
When Fuller is sworn in, the House Republican conference will total 219 members. That number includes Rep. Kevin Kiley of California, who left the Republican Party to register as an independent but continues to caucus with House Republicans.
However, the GOP’s margin could shrink within days. Analilia Mejia, the Democratic candidate in a special election in New Jersey’s left-leaning 11th Congressional District, is widely viewed as the favorite in a contest scheduled for Thursday to fill the seat vacated late last year by Rep. Mikie Sherrill.
One other House seat remains vacant: California’s 1st Congressional District, left open after the unexpected death of Rep. Doug LaMalfa in early January. A primary to determine the special election candidates is scheduled for June 2 (California primary day), with the special general election set for Aug. 4. Northeastern California’s 1st District is considered solidly Republican.
Bottom line: Fuller’s swearing-in restores a slim GOP working majority, but pending special elections mean the balance of power in the House could shift again very soon.
