The 119th House’s majority is the thinnest since 1947

Source. House Historian, Party Divisions; Senate.gov, Party Division

Method and data

Method. House margin is majority-party seats minus all other seats, from the House Historian’s initial election results, which exclude Delegates; the 119th is 220 to 215, a margin of 5. CRS’s opening-day count of January 3, 2025 (222 Republicans and 218 Democrats including Delegates and the Resident Commissioner, 1 vacancy) leaves 219 and 215 once those six are excluded, a margin of 4; it is a different basis and is not in the series. Senate margin is majority-caucus seats, counting independents that a publisher states caucused with the majority, minus all other seats, as printed on Senate.gov. The printed division follows a later seating, party switch or swearing-in, not the opening day, in the 94th, 104th, 111th, 117th and 119th (the 117th prints the period after January 20, 2021, and Senate.gov’s note gives 51 Republicans, 46 Democrats, 2 independents and 1 vacancy for January 3–20; for the 119th, CRS R48535 gives 52 Republicans, 45 Democrats, 2 independents and 1 vacant seat on January 3, 2025). The 115th and 118th use the opening divisions stated in Senate.gov’s note and in CRS R47470. Senate margins are zero in the 83rd, 84th, 107th (first period) and 117th.

Congress	First year	House majority party	House majority seats	House margin (seats)	Senate majority	Senate majority caucus seats	Senate margin (seats)
80	1947	Republican	246	57	Republicans	51	6
81	1949	Democratic	263	91	Democrats	54	12
82	1951	Democratic	235	35	Democrats	49	2
83	1953	Republican	221	7	Republicans	48	0
84	1955	Democratic	232	29	Democrats	48	0
85	1957	Democratic	232	29	Democrats	49	2
86	1959	Democratic	282	128	Democrats	65	30
87	1961	Democratic	264	91	Democrats	64	28
88	1963	Democratic	258	81	Democrats	66	32
89	1965	Democratic	295	155	Democrats	68	36
90	1967	Democratic	248	61	Democrats	64	28
91	1969	Democratic	243	51	Democrats	57	14
92	1971	Democratic	255	75	Democrats	55	10
93	1973	Democratic	243	51	Democrats	57	14
94	1975	Democratic	291	147	Democrats	62	24
95	1977	Democratic	292	149	Democrats	62	24
96	1979	Democratic	278	121	Democrats	59	18
97	1981	Democratic	243	51	Republicans	53	6
98	1983	Democratic	269	103	Republicans	55	10
99	1985	Democratic	253	72	Republicans	53	6
100	1987	Democratic	258	81	Democrats	55	10
101	1989	Democratic	260	85	Democrats	55	10
102	1991	Democratic	267	99	Democrats	56	12
103	1993	Democratic	258	81	Democrats	57	14
104	1995	Republican	230	25	Republicans	52	4
105	1997	Republican	226	17	Republicans	55	10
106	1999	Republican	223	11	Republicans	55	10
107	2001	Republican	221	7	Democrats	50	0
108	2003	Republican	229	23	Republicans	51	2
109	2005	Republican	232	29	Republicans	55	10
110	2007	Democratic	233	31	Democrats	51	2
111	2009	Democratic	257	79	Democrats	59	18
112	2011	Republican	242	49	Democrats	53	6
113	2013	Republican	234	33	Democrats	55	10
114	2015	Republican	247	59	Republicans	54	8
115	2017	Republican	241	47	Republicans	52	4
116	2019	Democratic	235	36	Republicans	53	6
117	2021	Democratic	222	10	Democrats	50	0
118	2023	Republican	222	9	Democrats	51	2
119	2025	Republican	220	5	Republicans	53	6

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