Republicans' 2024 Is Already off to a Terrible Start

Ohio Representative Bill Johnson is set to resign from Congress before the end of the month, reducing the already slim majority that Republicans hold in the House of Representatives.

The conservative lawmaker, who represents Ohio's 6th Congressional District, submitted his letter of resignation on Tuesday and is set to leave Congress on January 21, Johnson's office confirmed with Newsweek. His resignation will open up a third Republican House seat—ex-Speaker Kevin McCarthy's last day in Congress was December 31, and lawmakers voted to expel former Representative George Santos on December 1.

Johnson announced in November that he had accepted an offer to be the next president of Youngstown State University—a public university in northeastern Ohio that falls within his congressional district. His new job will start the day after he leaves public office, according to a statement from YSU Board of Trustees chairman Michael Peterson.

"With his contract indicating he would start prior to March 15, 2024, we are excited to have him on campus earlier than anticipated," Peterson said, adding that Johnson intends to visit campus "as often as his schedule allows" before starting as president, to meet with students, faculty and staff.

At the time of accepting the offer at YSU, Johnson assured his constituents that he would serve in the House for "several more months," adding that there was "still much left on my agenda to do before I depart Congress." Johnson's seat was up for reelection in November 2024.

His resignation comes at a "pivotal moment" for House Republicans, said political analyst Craig Agranoff, who told Newsweek that the GOP is "already reeling from past issues." After the 2022 midterm elections, Republicans barely took control of the lower chamber of Congress, with 222 members—only nine above the 213 elected Democrats.

After January 21, the House will be split 219 to 213.

"There are cracks in the foundation," Agranoff told Newsweek. "Johnson's exit is a symptom of deeper divisions within the House GOP. It reflects ongoing struggles to balance competing ideological factions and appeal to a broader electorate."

Divisions between hard-right and more moderate members of the House Republican caucus created a turbulent 2023 session—McCarthy was elected speaker in January after a historic 15 rounds of voting, only to be ousted in October. Current House Speaker Mike Johnson, a conservative from Louisiana, was elected several weeks later, just in time for Congress to avert a government shutdown in November after lawmakers couldn't reach consensus on a series of mandatory federal spending measures.

But the House faces another shutdown deadline January 19, putting pressure on leaders like Speaker Johnson, who will now have to navigate negotiations with even fewer lawmakers on his side.

"[Mike] Johnson's ascension to speaker was accompanied by promises of focusing on kitchen-table issues," Agranoff told Newsweek. "[Representative Bill Johnson's] resignation could force him to recalibrate his agenda, depending on who replaces [Bill] Johnson and their policy priorities."

Newsweek also reached to Mike Johnson's office via email for comment Tuesday.