The GOP could lose the House before Election Day. Here's how Democrats get ready

The bitter disarray consuming House Republicans could soon culminate in a dramatic climax never before seen in American history: control of the chamber changing hands before an election. And if it happens, Democrats need to be ready, because they could seize a once-in-a-lifetime chance to pass popular, vital legislation that Speaker Mike Johnson has blocked.

This tantalizing possibility has inched from fantasy toward reality thanks to the chaos fomented by the House Freedom Caucus, which has driven multiple Republicans to resign from Congress early, leaving vacant seats in their wake. And more could soon follow.

When Colorado's Ken Buck—one of those fed-up Republicans—announced his resignation earlier this month, he offered a warning to his colleagues.

"I think it's the next three people that leave," he told Axios, "that they're going to be worried about." Less than two weeks later, Buck's comments began to look prophetic when Wisconsin Rep. Mike Gallagher said he, too, would quit before his term was up.

And now Fox News' Chad Pergram reports that "other Republicans are angling to get out as soon as they can." Some, he says, "are just exasperated." Others are tired of being asked about Donald Trump's never-ending outbursts. And still others may simply be eager for a "big payday in the private sector."