Although it has been over three weeks since Election Day, there are three House races that are still up in the air.
Republicans have secured their slim House majority of 219 seats while the Democrats have won 213 seats. While the GOP is expected to hold onto yet another narrow majority, several Republicans have been tapped by President-elect Donald Trump to serve in the upcoming administration. With potential House vacancies on the horizon, every race remains crucial for Republicans.
While Republicans have secured a majority in the upcoming 119th Congress, the narrow advantage is shrinking.
In California's 13th congressional district, Republican incumbent Rep. John Duarte is hoping to fend off Democratic challenger and former Rep. Adam Gray. The two candidates are currently less than 200 votes apart, with Gray inching ahead of Duarte.
Gray previously represented California's 13th congressional district from 2012 to 2022 when Duarte unseated the Democrat. Duarte defeated the then-incumbent by just 564 votes, making him the first Republican to win the district since 1974.
The district has historically been held by Democrats, and Gray is still within striking distance of Duarte, making this one of the closest House races to date.
Further south in California's 14th congressional district, Republican incumbent Rep. Michelle Steel is falling behind Democratic challenger Derek Tran. Tran has pulled ahead of Steel with an approximate 600-vote margin.
Steel was first elected to represent California's 45th congressional district in 2022. The seat was previously held for three terms by Democratic Rep. Katie Porter, who has since represented California's 47th congressional district after the state redistricted in 2021.
Although the GOP may have lost its footing in two key California seats, Republican incumbent Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks has held a narrow lead in the race for Iowa's 1st congressional district. Miller-Meeks is roughly 800 votes ahead of Democratic challenger Christina Bohannan, with just 900 votes estimated to be remaining.
Miller-Meeks was first elected to represent Iowa's 1st congressional district in 2022, defeating Bohannan by nearly seven points. Although the race is much closer this time around, Miller-Meeks still has a shot at holding onto her seat.
While Republicans have secured a majority in the upcoming 119th Congress, the narrow advantage is shrinking.
Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida most recently resigned from Congress after Trump nominated him for attorney general. Gaetz later withdrew from his Cabinet bid but reaffirmed that he had no intentions of returning to Congress, leaving the seat vacant.
Fellow Floridian and Republican Rep. Mike Waltz was also tapped by Trump to serve as national security adviser in the upcoming administration. Waltz has confirmed that he intends to resign the day Trump is inaugurated on January 20.
Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York was also recruited by Trump to serve in the next administration as U.N. ambassador. Although she has not yet indicated when she intends to resign, the GOP is anticipating her vacancy.
With the two Florida seats scheduled for special elections on April 1, House Republicans are bracing themselves for an estimated one-seat majority for the first two months of the 119th Congress.
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Conservatives rejoiced when Trump tapped firebrand Matt Gaetz as his pick for attorney general. They couldn’t wait to see him go after the partisan, weaponized DOJ.
But then Gaetz’s controversial past got in the way, and when Senate confirmation was looking troublesome, he withdrew from his nomination so as not to be a “distraction” from the work the Trump administration was trying to accomplish.
While Gaetz’s stepping down was certainly disheartening, there were still other excellent picks — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton or perhaps Missouri’s Andrew Bailey, for example.
However, Trump took many by surprise when he then pointed to Pam Bondi, former Florida attorney general, as his next choice.
Who is Pam Bondi? And how should conservatives take the news of her nomination?
Josh Hammer, senior editor at large for Newsweek and host of “The Josh Hammer Show,” joins Jill Savage and Blaze News editor in chief Matthew Peterson on “Blaze News Tonight” to answer these questions.
One thing that paints Pam Bondi in a positive light for conservatives is the reality that MSNBC is terrified of her, precisely because “she is competent" and “knows what she is doing.”
While that’s certainly good news, not all conservatives are thrilled with this pick.
“This came out of left field for me,” Peterson tells Hammer.
“I’m not thrilled with the pick,” Hammer admits. “Pam Bondi would not have been on my short list.”
That’s not to say Bondi isn’t competent, however. “She was a two-term attorney general of the nation's third largest state” and has “been a prosecutor for 20 years.” Further, Bondi was “a leader in the Barack Obama era,” which means “she was one of the leaders of the states fighting Obamacare.”
That’s “a very good and laudable thing,” says Hammer.
However, “I have some very specific concerns about Pam Bondi,” he adds. “Pam Bondi supported some pro-gun control measures in Florida, especially in the aftermath of the Parkland shooting, [and] some measures, which Rick Scott signed into law pertaining to red flag laws.”
“She was also bringing home I think $115,000 a month at one point as a registered foreign agent of the Qatari government, so at a bare minimum, I would like to make sure that that is no longer the case and that she is no longer an asset of what is essentially a state sponsor of terrorism,” adds Hammer, noting that he “assumes that she’s not.”
When it comes to “enforc[ing] the rule of law” and “secur[ing] the border," however, he is confident Bondi “will be effective.”
Unfortunately, “She is not someone who's going to come in there and basically clean out the Augean stables and burn the whole thing down like a Matt Gaetz would have,” he says, but “as someone who personally hopes that the Trump-Vance administration succeeds in all that they want to do, I wish her all the best.”
To hear more about Pam Bondi, watch the episode above.
To enjoy more provocative opinions, expert analysis, and breaking stories you won’t see anywhere else, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.
President-elect Donald Trump endorsed Jimmy Patronis, Florida's chief financial officer, to replace former Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz after the Florida firebrand resigned his congressional post.
Gaetz resigned from Congress shortly after Trump nominated him for attorney general, sparking a slew of online and media controversy. Less than two weeks later, Gaetz decided to withdraw his bid for attorney general so as not to further distract from the Trump transition team. Gaetz confirmed that he does not intend to return to serve in the 119th Congress, leaving the seat vacant.
As a result, Patronis' name was floated as a potential Gaetz replacement. Patronis, who has long been an ally to Trump, earned his wholehearted endorsement.
"Jimmy Patronis, Chief Financial Officer for the Great State of Florida, has done a tremendous job as CFO, where he also serves as the State's Fire Marshall, and as an important member of the Florida Cabinet," Trump said in a Truth Social post Monday. "I hear that Jimmy is now considering launching a Campaign for Congress in Florida's 1st Congressional District!"
'Should he decide to enter this Race, Jimmy Patronis has my Complete and Total Endorsement.'
Trump pointed to Patronis' political experience as well as local ties to Florida's 1st district, further bolstering the endorsement.
"A fourth generation Floridian from the beautiful Panhandle, and owner of an iconic seafood restaurant, Jimmy has been a wonderful friend to me, and to MAGA," Trump continued. "I hear that As your next Congressman, Jimmy would work tirelessly alongside of me to Grow our Economy, Secure our Border, Stop Migrant Crime, Strengthen our Incredible Military/Vets, Restore American Energy DOMINANCE, and Defend our always under siege Second Amendment."
"Should he decide to enter this Race, Jimmy Patronis has my Complete and Total Endorsement," Trump said. "RUN, JIMMY, RUN!"
Patronis responded to Trump in an X post on Monday, seemingly open to the idea of running to replace Gaetz.
"Put me to work, Mr. President!" Patronis said. "I am here to serve."
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
Former Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida announced Friday that he will not be returning to serve in the 119th Congress.
This announcement came after Gaetz withdrew his bid for attorney general just two weeks after President-elect Donald Trump nominated him for the position, which sparked controversy on Capitol Hill. Although Gaetz is eligible to serve the term to which he was re-elected, he mentioned in his resignation letter that he did not "intend" to return to the House and then confirmed that he will not return on Charlie Kirk's podcast.
“I’m still going to be in the fight, but it’s going to be from a new perch. I do not intend to join the 119th Congress,” Gaetz told Kirk.
Gaetz has spent several days alongside Vice President-elect JD Vance holding meetings with senators ahead of his confirmation. Gaetz withdrew following his time spent on the Senate side, saying his confirmation was "unfairly becoming a distraction" for the Trump transition team.
"There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I'll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General," Gaetz said in a Thursday post on X.
Trump has since nominated former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi for the role.
Republicans now have only a narrow House majority, and the vacancy left by Gaetz has yet to be filled.
"There are a number of fantastic Floridians who’ve stepped up to run for my seat, people who have inspired with their heroism, with their public service," Gaetz told Kirk. "And I’m actually excited to see Northwest Florida go to new heights and have great representation."
Gaetz has not yet announced where he will continue his political career but vowed to remain a close ally to the president-elect.
“I’m going to be fighting for President Trump," Gaetz told Kirk. "I’m going to be doing whatever he asks of me, as I always have. But I think that eight years is probably enough time in the United States Congress.”
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
www.theblaze.com
freebeacon.com