Everton Blair sworn in, narrowing House GOP majority to 218-213

Democratic Representative Everton Blair of Georgia was sworn into Congress on September 1, 2026, narrowing the House Republican majority to a razor-thin 218–213 advantage. Blair, Georgia's first openly gay congressman, won a special election to complete the term of the late Representative David Scott. The swearing-in occurred just hours before a critical vote where crossover support from two Democrats saved the Republican legislative agenda and averted a government shutdown.

Everton Blair swearing-in

• ▪Everton Blair, a former school board chairman, won a special election runoff on August 25, 2026, to complete the term of the late Representative David Scott, who died on April 22, 2026
• ▪Everton Blair is Georgia's first openly gay congressman and will serve in the House of Representatives until January 2027
• ▪Democratic Representative Everton Blair of Georgia was sworn into the House of Representatives on September 1, 2026
• ▪State Representative Jasmine Clark will represent the Democratic Party in the November 2026 midterm elections for Georgia's 13th Congressional District

House GOP majority narrowing

• ▪The House Republican majority is scheduled to decrease by one more vote when California Democrat Aisha Wahab is sworn in to replace former Representative Eric Swalwell
• ▪The swearing-in of Representative Everton Blair narrowed the House Republican majority to a 218–213 advantage over Democrats

Mike Johnson swearing-in delays pattern

• ▪Speaker Mike Johnson previously took 50 days to swear in Democratic Representative Adelita Grijalva, while taking less than 48 hours to swear in a Republican colleague in 2025
• ▪Speaker Mike Johnson held a ceremonial swearing-in for Representative Everton Blair on September 1, 2026, marking one of two Democrats being sworn in during the same week

Republican legislative agenda vote

• ▪Representative Everton Blair was sworn in hours before a House vote on the Republican legislative agenda, which included a resolution to condemn socialism
• ▪Democratic Representatives Jared Golden and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez voted with Republicans to advance the legislative agenda and avert a government shutdown, while five Republicans voted against it

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