Rep. Mike Gallagher to resign in April, leaving House GOP with a razor-thin majority

Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.) announced Friday that he will resign from Congress in April, shrinking Republicans’ already slim majority in the House of Representatives. 

“After conversations with my family, I have made the decision to resign my position as a member of the House of Representatives for Wisconsin’s Eighth Congressional District, effective April 19, 2024,” Gallagher said in a statement. 

“I’ve worked closely with House Republican leadership on this timeline and look forward to seeing Speaker Johnson appoint a new chair to carry out the important mission of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party,” he added. “My office will continue to operate and provide constituent services to the Eighth District for the remainder of the term.”

Under Wisconsin law, Gallagher’s seat cannot be filled until after the November election if the lawmaker follows through with his resignation timeline. 

If he were to resign prior to the second Tuesday in April, the state would be able hold a special election before November to fill his vacant seat. 

Gallagher’s resignation further trims the GOP’s already slim control of the lower chamber.

With his departure, the GOP majority in the House will fall to 217-213, meaning House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) can only afford to lose one Republican member on any particular vote if Democrats vote along party lines. 

Republicans held a 222-213 majority after the 2022 midterm elections. 

Gallagher, the chairman of the select committee investigating the Chinese Communist Party, is the latest in a string of GOP members who have made early exits from Congress.  

Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) is stepping down on Friday. 

Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio) resigned in January. 

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) left at the end of last year after being ousted from the top spot in the lower chamber. 

Former Rep. George Santos (R-NY) was expelled shortly after being indicted for fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds, and making false statements, and was replaced by Democrat Tom Suozzi.

Several other Republican House members, including House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairwoman Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), House Financial Services Chairman Patrick McHenry (R-NC) and House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Kay Granger (R-Texas), have announced they’ll retire at the end of the year.

“Four terms serving Northeast Wisconsin in Congress has been the honor of a lifetime and strengthened my conviction that America is the greatest country in the history of the world,” Gallgher said. “I will forever be proud of the work I did on the Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, chairing the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, and chairing the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party.”

“It has truly been an honor to serve in the House of Representatives.”

Gallagher, one of three House Republicans to vote against impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, had previously announced that he would not seek re-election in 2024.