The Silver Lining in the Democratic Party’s Huge Majorities

Nobody understands better than Republicans how impossibly frustrating it is to govern with small congressional majorities.

North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong, a GOP representative from 2019 to 2024, described the phenomenon in a candid 2023 NPR interview. “There’s a small group of members in our conference who have a unique and, quite frankly, enviable political position,” he said:

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.

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Nobody understands better than Republicans how impossibly frustrating it is to govern with small congressional majorities.

North Dakota Governor Kelly Armstrong, a GOP representative from 2019 to 2024, described the phenomenon in a candid 2023 NPR interview. “There’s a small group of members in our conference who have a unique and, quite frankly, enviable political position,” he said:

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.