Longtime Democratic strategist James Carville expressed concern that Republicans might refuse to swear in newly elected lawmakers if the party loses control of the House or Senate in the upcoming midterms. Carville, speaking on his podcast "Politics War Room" with Al Hunt, suggested this tactic could be a desperate attempt for the GOP to cling to power.
Carville's warning comes in response to a listener's question about whether the GOP could employ a strategy similar to the one used by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) last year. Johnson delayed the swearing-in of Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-Ariz.) for seven weeks following her special election victory. At the time, Democrats accused Johnson of delaying Grijalva's seating because she was a crucial vote on a bipartisan petition to force a House vote on the Jeffrey Epstein files. Grijalva later called the delay an "abuse of power" on the House floor.
"You cannot talk about it enough. It’s too dangerous and they’re going to try it," Carville stated, advocating for an "early warning system" to identify such actions. Hunt echoed this sentiment, noting that top Democrats are "really worried" about the issue and believe Republicans will "do anything to remain in power."
"They’ll try to sabotage elections beforehand and if they lose, that’s the kind of trick they may try to play," Hunt said. He advised Democrats to secure "the best legal advice" to combat such maneuvers, stating, "you’re going to have to fight like hell because there’s nothing that they won’t do."
Carville emphasized the need for Democrats to have not only "good lawyers" but also "good preparation" in anticipation of Republicans potentially blocking the seating of future lawmakers. He suggested that being ready for such an event could "stoke what I think would be a huge outrage in this country."
However, Carville also acknowledged that successfully implementing such a tactic could be challenging, especially if forewarned. "I think this is a lot harder to do than we think. I’m not saying they’re not going to try it, but I think it’s going to be very hard for them to do. Very hard, when, particularly, when you’re forewarned," he said.