Remarks made by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday sent shock waves through Washington, D.C., as speculation began that Democrats in the House would use the Committee on House Administration — and their majority — to seat Democrats who ran behind Republicans in the nation's two closest House races.
In Iowa's 2nd District, Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks was certified as the winner over Democrat Rita Hart by six votes.
In New York's 22nd District, former Republican Rep. Claudia Tenney leads Democrat Rep. Anthony Brindisi by 12 votes and a state Supreme Court judge will rule on Monday whether there will be a recount.
But Pelosi's reference to the House Administration Committee taking the lead in both races invoked memories of 1985, when Republican Rick McIntyre was certified the winner in Indiana's 8th District. However, a recount overseen by an Administration Committee panel chaired by then-Rep. (and future Secretary of Defense) Leon Panetta, D-Calif., produced a four-vote lead for Democrat Rep. Frank McCloskey.
The Democrat-controlled House voted to seat McCloskey, sparking a walkout by angry Republicans. They charged theft and brandished buttons bearing the Eighth Commandment: "Thou Shalt Not Steal."
A reporter asked the speaker at her Friday press conference whether she would try to avoid a situation akin to the 1985 controversy in dealing with the two closest races.
"The Administration [Committee] is committed," she replied. "It is my understanding Rita Hart … will be asking the House to take this up. Further information about the technicalities of that is not a political vote but a House Administration matter."
Regarding NY-22, Pelosi said: "[T]here could be 1,500 or 5,000 votes not counted yet. That is going to the court Monday. … We will see what happens in the court … but [the race in NY-22] is down to 12 votes. People should know — everyone should know — their vote counts.
"Six votes is what the spread is in Iowa," she emphasized, "12 votes [in New York]. This is on the basis of hundreds of thousands of votes cast, so it is one of the matters that time will tell. We will see what the court says, what the House Administration Committee's options are, and what they decide to do."
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax. For more of his reports, Go Here Now.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.