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. 

Washington — Senate Republicans are meeting Wednesday to elect a new leader to represent the conference after Minority Leader Mitch McConnell — the longest serving leader in the Senate history — opted to step down from the post. 

Meeting behind closed doors on Wednesday morning, the Republican senators are casting secret ballots to elect their new leadership, as three candidates vie for Senate Republican leader, with President-elect Donald Trump’s shadow looming over the race. 

Whip John Thune of South Dakota, former Whip John Cornyn of Texas and Sen. Rick Scott of Florida are gunning for the top role, having worked behind the scenes for months to win support from their colleagues. But the leadership race took on new meaning following the 2024 elections, which saw Republicans take control of the Senate for the 119th Congress. With Trump’s return to the White House next year, and the possibility that Republicans retain control of the House, the GOP may have a unified government in Washington, teeing up a long list of legislative priorities for the new Senate leader to work on with Trump. 

Though Trump hasn’t made an endorsement in the leadership race, he looms large over the contest, weighing in with demands for the new leader to speed the confirmation of his nominees. 

Even without a Trump endorsement, his MAGA base of supporters have made clear who they favor in the race, launching a vocal social media campaign for Scott as leader in recent days and warning that Cornyn and Thune would threaten Trump’s agenda.

Scott has been considered the underdog in the race, facing Thune and Cornyn, who both have years of experience in leadership — but who have also been less reliable supporters of Trump. The Florida Republican challenged McConnell for the role in 2022, when he earned just 10 votes. Whether Scott’s coalition grows in the wake of Trump’s victory remains to be seen. 

Vice President-elect and Ohio Sen. JD Vance is also eligible to vote because he will be a member of the 119th Congress, albeit briefly, before Inauguration Day.

A candidate needs a majority of the conference, or 27 votes, to become leader. If no candidate secures a majority on the first ballot, the lowest vote-getter will be dropped from the list in the next round.

Outside of the top post, Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, the GOP conference chair who was also initially on the shortlist for leader, announced he would instead seek the whip position. And Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina is seeking to chair the GOP campaign arm, the National Republican Senatorial Committee.