The midterm elections may be over, but the next round of political battles is already taking shape. This time, they’re over who will lead the parties in the House and Senate.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, says he won’t seek the job of House minority leader. President Trump has had disagreements with Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota, but has not called for him to be replaced.
Among Democrats, some incoming lawmakers are questioning whether House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer should remain in charge, even after the party’s strong showing on election night.
Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan has previously suggested he may not back Schumer for majority leader. In June, El-Sayed warned that Schumer should consider him a potential challenger.
Asked after the election whether he would support Schumer, El-Sayed did not give a direct answer. He said he would vote for the candidate he believed could best reduce the influence of money in politics, improve people’s finances and advance Medicare for All. He also said he wanted to see what options emerged from discussions with fellow Democrats.
By Thursday, El-Sayed was praising Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, who has not said he plans to run for a leadership position. El-Sayed said he thought Van Hollen would make an excellent majority leader.
Other incoming Democratic senators have also stopped short of endorsing Schumer. Sen.-elect Adam Hamilton of Kansas said before the election that he would not vote for him. Sen.-elect Annie Andrews of South Carolina said both parties seemed ready for a new generation of leaders, while Sen.-elect Troy Jackson of Maine said he had told Schumer he would support someone else.
Schumer, for his part, appears unconcerned. Asked Wednesday about the contest, he predicted he would be reelected majority leader and said Democrats should focus on what the public wants.
Schumer would need support from roughly 29 members in a private caucus vote to win the post, a majority of the Democrats expected to serve in the Senate next year.
In the House, at least five members of the Democratic Socialists of America say they may withhold support for Jeffries unless he makes commitments on their priorities. Winning the speakership requires a majority of the full House: 218 votes if all 435 members-elect cast ballots when the new Congress begins on January 3.
Democrats could end up with more than 260 seats once all races are decided, leaving Jeffries room to lose a number of votes and still prevail.
Johnson’s own plans are less clear. Last month, he told colleague Aishah Hasnie that if he felt called to return to his hometown of Shreveport and start a lawn-care business, he would do it. It’s hardly certain he’ll leave politics for mowing lawns, but stepping aside may be preferable to a bruising bid for minority leader.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio are competing to lead House Republicans. Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota is seeking to keep his role as minority whip, but faces a challenge from Rep. August Pfluger of Texas.
The challenge for the candidates is not just winning leadership posts; they also need to hold their Republican coalitions together. It remains uncertain whether the party believes Scalise or Jordan is the right choice at this moment. Both are aligned with Trump, while some Republicans are looking for a different direction.
Democrats campaigned on the cost of living and holding the Trump administration accountable. What they will actually pursue in Congress is less settled. Their situation differs from 1994, when then-Rep. Newt Gingrich of Georgia put forward the “Contract with America,” a detailed pledge of what Republicans would do if they won control of the House for the first time in four decades.
Democrats have floated a range of priorities. Sen.-elect Juliana Stratton of Illinois said the party should begin by working to reverse cuts included in the sweeping spending and tax law known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill.”
They are also expected to push for renewed subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. Democrats sought funding to help offset rising premiums as part of negotiations over government funding. The House passed a bill providing that assistance, but the Senate did not. The dispute became central to the record 43-day government shutdown last year.
Schumer said the shutdown had made the differences between the parties on the issue clearer to the public.
Artificial intelligence and data centers are another focus. Democrats have raised concerns that AI could threaten jobs. Rep. Greg Casar of Texas, who chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus, described opposition to data centers as an early sign of a much larger political upheaval over AI and argued that Democrats needed to take the right position on the issue.
Democrats are also likely to seek votes aimed at ending the war in Iran, potentially by restricting funding for the military operations. The House has approved three war powers resolutions and the Senate has approved one, but those efforts have not constrained the president’s ability to continue the war.
Democrats argue that ending the conflict could bring down gas prices and, in turn, help ease grocery costs.
Tariffs may be another point of contention. Republicans in Congress have resisted efforts to roll back Trump’s tariffs, but Democrats believe the election may have changed the willingness of Republicans to support the president without question.
Rep. Greg Stanton of Arizona urged Republicans to end what he called an irrational tariff policy that was hurting the economy and the federal budget. Some Republicans, however, continue to defend the party’s legislative record. Rep. Chris Smith of New Jersey said voters had not fully appreciated the tax cuts and the “Big, Beautiful Bill.”
Trump has indicated that he is open to working with Democrats, while also making clear he may use his veto. The balance of power will matter. Democrats could hold more than 260 House seats once all results are final. They are assured of at least 54 Senate seats, with Mississippi and Alaska still undecided.
Overriding a presidential veto requires two-thirds support in both chambers: 290 votes in the House and 67 in the Senate. If Democrats settle near 260 House seats and some Republicans are willing to break with Trump, reaching the House threshold may be possible. In the Senate, if Democrats end up with 56 seats, they would need 11 Republican votes—a more difficult task, particularly as Trump critics such as former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Sens. John Cornyn of Texas, Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Thom Tillis of North Carolina are leaving.
Still, the numbers could be within reach. Much will depend on what Democrats can pass and what Trump is prepared to sign.
