On the first Tuesday after a midterm election that will decide who governs Congress, Republicans in the Senate and House gather to choose their leaders, carrying the weight of a moment that tests loyalty as much as strategy. Their decision on Nov. 10 will reveal whether a party, facing the possibility of losing its grip on one or both chambers, will stand by the figures who steered it through a narrow and difficult season. The answer is still unwritten, and it will say as much about the people in the room as about the ballots cast a week earlier.
Senate and House GOP Set Leadership Votes for Nov. 10, Weeks After Midterms
Backing for Johnson is less certain if the GOP loses the House
Mark
Why hold these votes only a week after the election? Isn't that awkwardly soon?
Mimi
That's the point of the timing. The results will be fresh, so members vote knowing whether they're in the majority or the minority.
Mark
And the big question is about Thune and Johnson?
Mimi
Yes, whether Republicans keep backing them if Democrats win a chamber. Senator Cramer has already said he thinks nobody could blame Thune.
Luke
Worth noting that's one senator's view, and he's a Thune ally by the sound of it. It isn't a count of votes. We don't know how the rest of the conference will go.
Mark
What about the Senate map?
Mimi
Republicans hold 53 seats. Democrats need a net gain of four, and they've made inroads in Alaska, Ohio, Kansas and South Carolina, while staying competitive in Iowa, Maine and Texas.
Luke
Competitive isn't winning, though. The reporting describes opportunities, not predictions of a flip.
Mark
And Johnson's position?
Mimi
Less certain if the House is lost, which many pundits and pollsters expect. Trump publicly praised him this week.
Luke
Again, the expectation of a loss comes from pundits and pollsters, not a result. And Trump's endorsement doesn't tell us how House members will vote.
Mimi
Right, and the speaker's floor vote isn't until January regardless. Nov. 10 is the conference's own choice.
Il Polso
- Senate Republicans convene at 9 a.m. on Nov. 10, just seven days after voters decide whether their 53-seat majority survives.
- Democrats need only a net gain of four seats and are pressing into places like Alaska, Ohio, Kansas and South Carolina that once seemed out of reach.
- Sen. Kevin Cramer has publicly defended Majority Leader John Thune, insisting no honest observer could blame him for the outcome.
- House Republicans face a two-hour candidate forum before voting on leader, whip and conference chair, with Speaker Mike Johnson's standing uncertain if the chamber flips.
- Trump's public endorsement of Johnson adds pressure, but the real test is whether members stay loyal if Republicans become the minority.
On the first Tuesday after a midterm election that will decide who governs Congress, Republicans in the Senate and House gather to choose their leaders, carrying the weight of a moment that tests loyalty as much as strategy. Their decision on Nov. 10 will reveal whether a party, facing the possibility of losing its grip on one or both chambers, will stand by the figures who steered it through a narrow and difficult season. The answer is still unwritten, and it will say as much about the people in the room as about the ballots cast a week earlier.
On the morning of Tuesday, Nov. 10, Senate Republicans will gather at 9 a.m. in the Old Senate Chamber to choose their leaders. The session comes one week after an Election Day that will decide whether the party keeps control of the Senate and the House. House Republicans will hold their own contest that same day.
The central question is whether the party will stand behind its current leaders, Senate Majority Leader John Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson, if Democrats win either chamber. In the Senate, Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota has already offered an answer for Thune, saying no honest person could blame him for the outcome and that he expects Thune to lead whether Republicans hold the majority or fall into the minority.
The majority is not secure. Republicans hold 53 seats, and Democrats need a net gain of four. They have made gains in Alaska, Ohio, Kansas and South Carolina and remain competitive in Iowa, Maine and Texas.
In the House, Johnson's support is less certain. President Trump publicly endorsed him this week, calling him a strong and fearless Speaker who gets things done, though many expect the GOP to lose the chamber. The House session opens with a two-hour candidate forum, followed by votes that afternoon. The speaker's floor vote does not come until January, but if Republicans keep control, they will nominate a speaker on Nov. 10. The question to watch is whether members rally behind their leaders or turn elsewhere.
On the morning of Tuesday, Nov. 10, Senate Republicans will gather at 9 a.m. in the Old Senate Chamber to choose their leaders, according to GOP aides. The vote comes just a week after an Election Day that will decide whether the party keeps its majorities in the Senate and the House.
House Republicans will hold their own leadership contest the same day. The central question in both chambers is whether the party will stand behind its current leaders, Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota and House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, if Democrats win control of either chamber.
In the Senate, at least one Republican has already answered that question for Thune. Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota told reporters last week that he doesn't think any rational, honest person could blame Thune for any of this. Cramer said he expects Thune to remain at the helm whether Republicans hold the majority or fall into the minority. He pointed to how Thune has handled a slim majority in difficult times, alongside a House he described as raucous and far less hardworking than the Senate. In Cramer's telling, nobody could pin a bad outcome on him.
Cramer also spoke to the opposite scenario. If Republicans hold the majority, or even hold at 50 seats and remain the governing party, he said, Thune deserves a great deal of credit for keeping the conference together.
The majority is far from safe. Senate Republicans currently hold 53 seats, and Democrats need a net gain of four to take control. They have made inroads in Alaska, Ohio, Kansas and South Carolina, states where such gains were once considered improbable, and they remain competitive in Iowa, Maine and Texas.
In the House, backing for Johnson is less certain if the GOP loses the chamber, an outcome many pundits and pollsters expect. President Donald Trump weighed in this week with a public endorsement, posting that Johnson is a strong and fearless Speaker who is able to get things done when nobody else can. Trump wrote that Johnson is working tirelessly to deliver and codify the administration's America First and Make America Great Again agenda.
The House schedule, first reported by Politico, begins with a two-hour forum for candidates on the morning of Nov. 10. Members will then vote that afternoon on the positions of leader, whip and conference chair.
One distinction matters for the House. The floor vote for speaker does not happen until January. But if Republicans keep control of the chamber, they will also use the Nov. 10 session to nominate a speaker. What to watch is whether members rally behind Thune and Johnson or turn elsewhere if either chamber slips away.
Citazioni salienti
I don't think any rational, honest person (could) blame John Thune for any of this.— Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D.
Johnson is a strong and fearless Speaker who is able to get things done when nobody else can.— President Donald Trump, in a post this week
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Politics & Governance