'Significant math issue': Expert warns House GOP will soon be crippled by absences

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Raw Story

December 2, 2025 4:02PM ET


House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has navigated a difficult year with a razor-thin majority where he had to wrangle every last vote on key issues, and frequently had to juggle unexpected vacancies. But things are about to get a whole lot worse for him, one congressional staffer predicted Tuesday on X.

That's because no fewer than 18 members of the House Republican caucus are running for other offices next year, and can't be counted on to always be in Washington for critical votes.

Aaron Fritschner, a top staffer for Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA), flagged this in response to a Punchbowl News analysis of Johnson's "brutal" 11 months ahead, which includes yet another shutdown fight looming over the next two months, and rising discontent from the GOP rank and file and even other House GOP leaders about the direction of the caucus.

"Punchbowl's rundown here is good, and there's another problem for Johnson that'll creep up next year: attendance," wrote Fritschner. "Republicans have 18 members running for other offices next year, compared to just 8 Dems. Campaigning will keep them out of DC, a significant vote math issue."

Read more: https://www.rawstory.com/house-gop-2674363611/

[littlemissmartypants]

1. Bless their hearts.

[Skittles]

2. a "crippled GOP" sounds very promising

yes INDEED

[cstanleytech]

3. Well it can't be a neutered one as Trump already had all of them personally castrate themselves for him.

Then he had them present the evidence to him on bended knee and the remains Trump had them pay to get gold dipped for hanging on the Whitehouse Christmas tree.

[Skittles]

4. for the life of me

I cannot understand why so many people are willing to humiliate themselves over that fucking BUFFOON. WTF.

[modrepub]

5. Follow the $

[yardwork]

6. The biggest math problem for Republicans is the economy.

Most American voters don't pay a lot of attention to how government works. They vote based on how their personal economic lives are going.

That's why Biden won in 2020. Voters blamed Trump for their woes. Then, four years later, they blamed Biden. A lot of those economic woes were due to the global pandemic. That has changed. Trump's actions are making the US economy very difficult for everybody but the rich.

Those uninformed voters who were taught to blame presidents for the prices at the grocery store are going to turn on the people in power now.

[louis-t]

7. They know what's coming.

I think a lot of them fear the consequences of losing the majorities. There will be investigations and trials.

[erronis]

8. When trump/vance/johnson say "Don't worry. They won't have to vote anymore."

We'll know they are fixing the rest of the elections.

May not even need Musk to fiddle with the communications links.

There'll be no independent MSM so the pre-canned results will show an amazing 80%+ approval for the new Empire Party.