{"id":2569253,"date":"2026-02-12T09:41:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T14:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/shockwaves-rock-house-republicans-razor-thin-margin-could-shrink-as-rumors-swirl\/"},"modified":"2026-02-12T09:43:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T14:43:11","slug":"shockwaves-rock-house-republicans-razor-thin-margin-could-shrink-as-rumors-swirl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/shockwaves-rock-house-republicans-razor-thin-margin-could-shrink-as-rumors-swirl\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Shockwaves&#8217; Rock House Republicans: Razor-Thin Margin Could Shrink as Rumors Swirl"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fshockwaves-rock-house-republicans-razor-thin-margin-could-shrink-as-rumors-swirl%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2569253&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article notes that under President Donald Trump\u2019s second term, Republicans hold a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >razor-thin majority<\/a> in Congress, making every vote crucial in both the House and the Senate. Rumors of a GOP lawmaker\u2019s early departure have stunned Republicans and been described as sending shockwaves through the party\u2019s slim majority. Florida Rep. Neal Dunn\u2019s retirement plans\u2014now rumored to be early 2026 rather than at the end of his term\u2014have drawn particular attention, with House Speaker Mike Johnson reportedly asking him to stay through his term. If Dunn leaves early and with Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene\u2019s own <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ex-dni-ratcliffe-says-durham-can-expand-indictments-after-sussmann-trial\/\" title=\"Ex-DNI Ratcliffe Says Durham Can Expand Indictments After Sussmann Trial\">high-profile situation<\/a>, the House could briefly operate with a 217-214 margin, leaving Johnson with a one-vote cushion until August, when a special election will fill the seat vacated by the late Doug LaMalfa and possibly alter the balance again. The piece also indicates that the upcoming November 2026 midterms could reshape congressional majorities.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Under President Donald Trump&rsquo;s second term, Republicans enjoy a majority in Congress.<\/p>\n<p>But that &ldquo;majority&rdquo; is based on ultra-tight margins that generally can&rsquo;t afford to see a GOP lawmaker vote with the other side of the aisle.<\/p>\n<p>It&rsquo;s not hyperbole to say that &ldquo;every vote matters&rdquo; in the current makeup of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.<\/p>\n<p>Given that reality, it shouldn&rsquo;t be a surprise that a GOP lawmaker&rsquo;s rumored early departure from the House has stunned Republican lawmakers.<\/p>\n<p>Or, as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/republican-lawmakers-early-retirement-rumors-send-shockwaves-through-house-gop\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fox News<\/a> puts it, those rumors &ldquo;are sending shockwaves through Republicans&rsquo; razor-thin majority in Congress.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>Florida GOP Rep. Neal Dunn had already made his intentions known to retire before the end of his current term.<\/p>\n<p>But those late 2026 plans are now being rumored to be&nbsp;<em>early&nbsp;<\/em>2026 plans &mdash; with Dunn purportedly planning on not even finishing out his term now &mdash; and that&rsquo;s caused quite a bit of consternation among Republicans, based on Fox News&rsquo; characterization of the ordeal.<\/p>\n<p>House Speaker Mike Johnson has reportedly asked Dunn to stay and see out his term, even if he plans to retire this year.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;He is a beloved member of Congress and a great man. And, you know, he&rsquo;s informed us he&rsquo;s not going to run for re-election,&rdquo; Johnson said. &ldquo;And what he does from here forward, I&rsquo;m not sure.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Johnson added, &ldquo;You need to ask him about it. But I&rsquo;ve encouraged him to stay and be part of this, and I think he wants to do that. And so you have to ask him all the circumstances.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>When CNN reporter Sarah Ferris actually did ask Dunn about these rumors, he didn&rsquo;t offer much insight.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Just asked GOP Rep. Neal Dunn if he is committed to serving out the rest of his term: &ldquo;No comment right now.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Dunn, who has dealt with health issues, recently announced he would not seek reelection. Big question inside Capitol is whether he is seeking to leave early.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Sarah Ferris (@sarahnferris) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/sarahnferris\/status\/2021642455502696640?\">February 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;No comment right now,&rdquo; Dunn told Ferris.<\/p>\n<p>If Dunn does truly retire early (Ferris noted that he&rsquo;s been dealing &ldquo;with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rfk-jr-to-be-grilled-my-senators-funded-by-big-pharma\/\" title=\"RFK Jr. To Be Grilled My Senators Funded By Big Pharma\">health issues&#038;rdquo<\/a>;), it leaves Johnson with the thinnest of margins.<\/p>\n<p>Coupled with the surprise departure of Georgia GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene &mdash; an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/mtg-may-leaked-trumps-location-unhinged-activists-white-house\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">acrimonious divorce<\/a>, to say the least &mdash; Fox News noted that Johnson will be working with a 217-214 majority in the House.<\/p>\n<p>That effectively means Johnson and the Republicans will have a one-vote margin of error going forward.<\/p>\n<p>And it will likely remain that way until August, when there is a special election planned to fill the vacated seat of the late California GOP Rep. Doug LaMalfa.<\/p>\n<p>The 2026 midterms, which could reshape Congress and its majorities entirely, will take place in November.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Under Trump\u2019s second term, Republicans hold a razor-thin majority in Congress, so every vote in both the House and the Senate could be decisive. Rumors that a GOP lawmaker might leave the House early have stunned party leaders and were described as sending shockwaves through the already narrow majority.<\/p>\n<p>Florida Rep. Neal Dunn had signaled retirement before his term ends, but reports now suggest he could depart as early as 2026, a move that has unsettled Republicans. House Speaker Mike Johnson has asked Dunn to stay through his current term, though Dunn declined to comment when pressed by CNN. If Dunn retires early, Johnson would be working with an extremely slim margin\u2014potentially 217-214\u2014especially with the reported departure of Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene amid a contentious divorce. The situation could remain precarious until a planned August special election to replace the late California Republican Doug LaMalfa. The 2026 midterms, set for November, could further reshape the House<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2569254,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-02-11T200853.162.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[72681,73671,3756,7350,25074],"class_list":["post-2569253","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-house-republicans-2","tag-razor-thin-margin","tag-republicans","tag-rumors","tag-shockwaves"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-02-11T200853.162.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2569253","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2569253"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2569253\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2569257,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2569253\/revisions\/2569257"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2569254"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2569253"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2569253"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2569253"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}