Capitol Hill is about to embark on a biennial game of musical chairs.Everyone needs to find a seat when the music stops.Those who don’t are out.There are four sets of leadership elections pending in Congress over the next few weeks.
House Republicans and Democrats will pick their top leaders.The same with Senate Republicans and Democrats.
The entire House must elect a speaker when the new Congress convenes on Jan.3.
The full Senate chooses the majority leader.That’s decided individually by the majority party in the Senate.We anticipate a scramble for leadership positions in the days following the election, depending on which party captures the majority of each body for the new Congress.JORDAN EMERGES AS POTENTIAL NEXT GOP LEADER IF DEMS SEIZE HOUSERep.
Steve Scalise, R-La., and Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., attend a news conference at the U.S.Capitol in Washington, D.C., on June 30, 2026.
(Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)Let’s start with House Republicans.If Republicans maintain control of the House, the GOP will likely maintain its current leadership team of House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., and Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn.However, if the GOP loses control of the House, recriminations — and an epic game of vicious political musical chairs likely commences.The reason? In the minority, a party only has two top leadership positions compared to three in the majority.
Will Johnson slide to minority leader? Does he want that slot? Does President Donald Trump want him in that position? Or someone else?Regardless, whoever Trump wants as the top House Republican is the one who gets that slot in the new Congress.Would Scalise become minority leader? Would he slide to minority whip? Where does Emmer fit in here? Could Emmer become the top House GOPer?Then there is Rep.Jim Jordan, R-Ohio.It’s clear that Jordan wants to become the top Republican in the House.
He’s campaigned for Republican candidates and membe...