House GOP fears primary losers could jeopardize razor-thin majority
Some House Republicans are getting worried over the prospect of colleagues quiet-quitting after losing their primary races as election season heats up, threatening to whittle down the GOP's already perilously...
By Fox News · Fox News
Some House Republicans are getting worried over the prospect of colleagues quiet-quitting after losing their primary races as election season heats up, threatening to whittle down the GOP's already perilously slim majority. House Republicans will likely only be able to lose two votes on any party-line measure after a special election in a deep-red Georgia district this week. Some told Fox News Digital they're worried, however, that their colleagues could begin missing key votes before the end of their terms if their ambitions for higher office do not go as planned. "It's a real problem," one House Republican who was granted anonymity to speak candidly told Fox News Digital. "Is one of them going to be gone for his runoff? Will another not come back at all because he's mad? Is another one not going to come back because he lost?" DEMOCRATS SALIVATE AT GOP ZERO-VOTE MARGIN AS SHUTDOWN LOOMS OVER ICE REFORM GRIDLOCK Asked if such absences could translate to Republicans losing a functional majority in the House, that GOP lawmaker said, "We could, that's why everybody's nervous about it." In the Lone Star State alone, two House Republicans are guaranteed not to be returning next year after last week's primaries. Rep. Wesley Hunt, R-Texas, lost his bid to unseat Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who is headed for a runoff with state Attorney General Ken Paxton. And Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, faced an upset against a primary challenger running to his right, conservative state lawmaker Steve Toth. Neither has indicated they will be skipping House votes for the remainder of the term due to those losses, but Hunt's attendance record has already generated frustration among his colleagues. Aside from them, there are 18 other House Republicans currently vying for different positions in upcoming primaries and general elections. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., a high-ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, told Fox News Digital that he too was worried about GOP attendance…