House Democrat Sylvester Turner is dead at age 70, just two months into his first term representing parts of Houston. His death was a shock; he posted a video on X just yesterday. In 2022, he said he had recovered from bone cancer and was cancer-free.

With Turner’s death, the U.S. House of Representatives has 218 Republicans and 214 Democrats, and three vacancies. Florida Republican Matt Gaetz did not take his seat and resigned Congress in November 2024; fellow Florida Republican Mike Waltz resigned to become President Trump’s national security advisor January 20. The special elections for those seats will be held April 1.

Under Texas law, the state will hold a special election for the remainder of Turner’s term, the “special election shall be held on the first uniform election date occurring on or after the 36th day after the date the election is ordered.” Texas has local elections scheduled for May 3. So in the month of April, House Speaker Mike Johnson is likely to have a bit more breathing room, with a majority of 220 Republicans to 214 Democrats.