WASHINGTON — House Republicans move forward with leadership elections Wednesday; majority rule The numbers are still not balanced major races It hasn’t been decided yet.
Still, Republicans are operating as if they have secured control of the House for two more years. CBS News characterizes control of the House as lean for Republicans.
The race for the No. 4 leadership position of House Republican Conference chairperson will be the only competition after New York state Rep. Elise Stefanik won the election. offered the role He will serve as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet.
Representative Kat Cammack of Florida. Rep. Lisa McClain of Michigan and Rep. Erin Houchin of Indiana announced Monday that they are running for conference president.
House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, both of Louisiana, said the day after the election that they aim to return to leadership roles in the next Congress, which begins in January.
In a pair of letters to their Republican colleagues, they laid out similar priorities, including border security, extending Trump-era tax cuts, reining in government spending and cutting regulations.
Minnesota House Majority Whip Tom Emmer also said in a letter to colleagues last week that he would seek reelection to the position, acknowledging that infighting has become the norm among the current Republican majority in Congress. .
“There will always be disagreements over policy and strategy, and that’s a good thing,” he said on the pitch. “Governance is messy and imperfect. But I have always believed that there is more that unites us than what divides us. I have witnessed this as your whip to hash out the differences and find a way to 218.”
After four years of Democratic rule, Republicans regained the House majority in the 2022 midterm elections. However, internal conflicts have made it difficult to govern with a majority, with Republican Representative George Santos forced into early retirement and expelled, and the New York seat later won by the Democratic Party.
If they remain in power, House Republicans could regain control by a narrow margin, leaving Johnson in a difficult position once again, even with Republicans in control of the Senate and White House. Johnson has had to rely on Democratic votes to pass legislation, and was even saved by Democrats from an attempted ouster.
Trump’s choice for a second term could also affect a potential Republican majority. As of Monday night, the former president had nominated two House Republicans to serve in his administration, further tightening the potential Republican majority until those seats are filled in special elections.
