This 'craven' act could let GOP keep House majority even if Dems sweep midterms: analysis

[dalton99a]

1. Kick

"It would be craven, but shockingly constitutional. And it would be hard for the courts to reverse. The possible hijacking of a Democratic majority would rest on these words: 'Each House shall be the Judge of the Elections, Returns and Qualifications of its own Members, and a Majority of each shall constitute a Quorum to do Business.'"

Ex-rep Israel believes the "preferred representative" chosen at the ballots could be overturned, as the "final arbiter" is the speaker of the House, Republican rep Mike Johnson. There is precedence to refuse the results of the midterms and stagger on with a slim majority, too.

Israel wrote, "In 1984, a Democratic-controlled House of Representatives refused to seat newly elected Republican Rick McIntyre from Indiana’s notorious “bloody” 8th congressional district."

"He’d just beaten incumbent Democrat Frank McCloskey by a mere 34 votes, but questions about the vote counting abounded, leading House Democrats to appoint a three-person commission to investigate further. They ultimately found that McCloskey had held the seat by four votes and seated him instead—reversing the results of the election."