Though Democrats are enormously relieved that the Trump presidency is coming to an end, the 2020 elections were also a disappointment. They not only failed to win outright control of the U.S. Senate but also lost ground in the House of Representatives. House Democrats are presently on track to control 222 seats – just four more than the 218 they need for a bare majority.
In Congress, being in the majority is almost always better than being in the minority. As the political scientist Charles O. Jones noted in an insightful 1968 article, however, there are actually two kinds of congressional majorities – and with fewer Democratic votes to count on, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her party in the House will have some difficulties maintaining both. CONTINUED
Matthew Green (Catholic U.), Mischiefs of Faction