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2h ago

Republicans Hold Secret Leadership Votes After Midterm Defeat

The contests will determine whether the GOP installs familiar leaders quickly or pauses for a wider post‑mortem that could reshape its strategy.

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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., center, poses for a photograph in his office with Sen.-elects Abdul El-Sayed, D-Mich., Josh Turek, D-Iowa, Roy Cooper, D-N.C., Juliana Stratton, D-Ill., and Chris Pappas, D-N.H., Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
US Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) speaks to members of the media before heading into the Senate Chamber at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, November 9, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper
US Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) looks down while walking to the Senate Chamber for a vote at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, November 9, 2026. REUTERS/Kylie Cooper

Overview

  • House Republicans are holding a competitive secret‑ballot vote between Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan that will signal whether the conference favors continuity or a sharper, confrontational approach in the minority.
  • Senate Majority Leader John Thune is running to remain the Senate GOP leader and is widely expected to win even as a small group of senators pushes to delay the vote for a full debrief.
  • A faction led by Sen. Ron Johnson gathered the five signatures required to force a conference discussion and was joined by senators including Rick Scott, Mike Lee, Ted Budd, and John Kennedy in calling for a delay to examine how the party lost so many seats.
  • Leadership elections are being held behind closed doors by secret ballot and only members elected to the next Congress may vote, a process that concentrates decision making in a reduced post‑election conference.
  • The votes come one week after Democrats flipped both chambers, giving them at least 54 Senate seats and at least 252 House seats, which shortens the window for Republicans to influence lame‑duck business and sets the stage for strategy ahead of 2028.