The United States midterm elections have reshaped the balance of power in Washington, DC, breaking the Republican Party’s grip on Congress.
asserted
elections → reshape → Congress
With Democrats set to take control of both legislative chambers in January, Republicans are preparing for a change in congressional leadership.
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Republicans → set → leadership
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On Tuesday, Republicans in the House of Representatives and the Senate will hold elections to select the party’s leaders through the final two years of Donald Trump’s presidency.
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Republicans → joke → presidency
Several senior positions are at stake, including minority leader, minority whip and conference chair.
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positions → include → leader
But what do these jobs entail, and who is competing for them?
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who → entail → them
Because the US has long had a two-party system – revolving around Democrats and Republicans – each side organises its own leadership in the chambers of Congress.
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side → have → Congress
The aim is to present a united front on legislation and other congressional matters.
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aim → present → legislation
When the 120th Congress is sworn in this January, the Republican Party will be in the minority in both chambers.
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Party → swear → chambers
Democrats will have majorities of at least 54 seats in the 100-member Senate and at least 254 in the House, which has a total of 435 voting members.
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which → have → members
To organise as the minority party, Republicans will need to choose leaders for both the House and Senate.
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Republicans → organise → House
The minority leader in a given chamber is the most senior member of whichever party holds the fewest seats.
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party → give → seats
The leader serves as the party’s chief spokesperson, coordinates its legislative strategy and negotiates with the majority party.
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leader → serve → party
The minority whip is the second-ranking leadership position.
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whip → rank → ?
The whip counts votes, communicates with lawmakers and works to keep members united behind the party’s positions.
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whip → count → positions
Republicans also elect other leadership positions, including the conference chair, who oversees internal party meetings and helps shape the party’s messaging.
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who → elect → messaging
Committee chairs also need to be selected to help develop legislative priorities.
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chairs → need → priorities
Who is running for House minority leadership?
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Who → run → leadership
The biggest contest in the House is for minority leader, with longtime rivals Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Jim Jordan of Ohio competing for the position.
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Scalise → compete → position
Scalise, who has held senior Republican leadership positions for more than a decade, served as House majority whip from 2014 to 2018 and minority whip from 2019 to 2022.
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who → hold → 2022
He has put himself forward as an experienced leader who can unite the party and guide Republicans through their return to the minority.
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who → put → minority
Jordan, a founding member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus and a close Trump ally, is campaigning on a more aggressive approach to confronting the Democratic majority.
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Jordan → found → majority
In a letter to colleagues, the Ohio lawmaker described himself as “battle-tested” and argued he could better coordinate the party’s response to Democrat-led investigations into the Trump administration.
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he → describe → administration
The contest for minority whip, the party’s second-ranking position, is between current majority whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota and August Pfluger of Texas.
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contest → rank → Texas
Emmer is seeking to retain the position.
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Emmer → seek → position
He has acknowledged the scale of the party’s midterm losses, but argued that Republicans must remain united as they move into the minority.
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they → acknowledge → minority
Pfluger, who chairs the Republican Study Committee, is making the case for a change in leadership.
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who → chair → leadership
In a letter to colleagues, he said the party needed “fresh ideas” and a clearer strategy to win back the House in 2028.
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party → say → 2028
Who will lead Senate Republicans?
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Who → lead → Republicans
Senate majority leader John Thune of South Dakota is seeking to retain his position as his party’s leader in the chamber.
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Thune → seek → chamber
That would make him the minority leader when Democrats take control of the chamber in January.
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Democrats → make → January
Thune, who succeeded longtime Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell in 2025, has so far faced no public challenger for the seat.
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who → succeed → seat
Republican John Barrasso of Wyoming, currently the majority whip, is also expected to seek another term as the party’s second-ranking leader in the Senate.
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Barrasso → expect → Senate
Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin has pushed to delay the vote, arguing Republicans should have more time to assess the election results.
“It’s not like we’ve got to quick-form a majority in the Senate and do all the things with the committees.
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we → push → committees
We have time,” Johnson told Fox News.
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Johnson → have → News
This is time not to just, quick, make a knee-jerk decision.”
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This → make → decision
Senators like Mike Lee of Utah have voiced support for Johnson’s campaign.
“We have no business holding Senate Republican leadership elections until: (1) we’ve had ample opportunity to discuss what happened on Tuesday, and (2) we know who’s going to be in our conference,” Lee wrote on social media.
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Lee → voice → media
What happens to Mike Johnson?
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What → happen → Johnson
Mike Johnson will lose his position as House speaker when Democrats take control of the chamber in January.
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Democrats → lose → January
The speaker is elected by the entire House, and the majority traditionally nominates someone from within its party.
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majority → elect → party
Johnson announced he will not seek the House minority leader position, clearing the way for Scalise and Jordan to compete for the top Republican post.
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Scalise → announce → post
…and 4 more, not listed.
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