House Republicans move ahead with leadership elections as majority yet to be decided

Washington — House Republicans are moving forward with their leadership elections Wednesday, though majority control still hangs in the balance as a number of key races have yet to be determined. 

Still, Republicans are operating as if they’ve secured control of the lower chamber for another two years. CBS News has characterized control of the House as lean Republican. 

The election for the No. 4 leadership spot, House Republican Conference chair, is the only competitive race, after Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York was offered a role to serve in President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. 

Rep. Kat Cammack of Florida. Rep. Lisa McClain of Michigan and Rep. Erin Houchin of Indiana announced Monday they are running for conference chair. 

House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, both from Louisiana, said the day after the election that they would seek to return to their leadership roles in the next Congress, which begins in January. 

In a pair of letters to their Republican colleagues, both laid out similar priorities including border security, extending Trump-era tax cuts, reining in government spending and cutting regulations. 

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota also said in a letter to colleagues last week that he would seek another term in the role and acknowledged the infighting that has been a staple of the GOP majority in the current Congress. 

“We will always have disagreements over policy and strategy. That’s a good thing,” he said in his pitch. “Governing is messy and imperfect. But I have always believed that there is more that unites us than divides us. I’ve witnessed this as your whip, bringing together members from across our conference to hash out these disagreements and find a path to 218 votes.” 

Republicans regained control of the House in the 2022 midterm elections after four years of Democratic rule. But infighting has made it difficult for them to govern with a razor-thin majority amid early retirements and the expulsion of GOP Rep. George Santos, whose New York seat was later picked up by a Democrat. 

If they do hold onto control, House Republicans could again be governing with a slim majority, which would again put Johnson in a difficult position, even with Republicans in power in the Senate and White House. Johnson has had to rely on Democratic votes to pass legislation and was even rescued by Democrats from an ouster attempt.

Trump’s personnel selections for his second term could also have an effect on the potential Republican majority. As of Monday evening, the former president had tapped two House Republicans to serve in his administration, which would squeeze the potential GOP majority even further until those seats are filled in a special election.