Senate, House GOP set leadership elections

Savannah Behrmann, CQ-Roll Call on Oct 30, 2026

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WASHINGTON — Republicans in both the Senate and House will hold their leadership contests on Nov. 10, just a week after a high-stakes Election Day that will determine whether they keep their majorities.

The top question for the GOP will be whether they continue to support current Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Speaker Mike Johnson if Democrats retake either chamber.

The Senate-side leadership elections will start that Tuesday at 9 a.m. in the Old Senate Chamber, according to GOP aides.

Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., told reporters last week, “I don’t think any rational, honest person (could) blame John Thune for any of this,” when asked about supporting the South Dakotan in case Republicans lose.

Cramer said he predicted Thune would stay at the helm of the ship whether Republicans are in the majority or minority. “I just don’t see how you could look at what John Thune’s done in the last couple of years in navigating this slight majority in these difficult times with a raucous House that works much less often than we do,” Cramer said. “I don’t think anybody could blame him for any bad outcome that would happen.”

“Now, if we hold the majority or even hold (at) 50 and we remain the governing party, I think you have to give (Thune) an awful lot of credit for keeping it together,” he said of the possibility of a split chamber emerging.

Senate Republicans’ 53-seat majority is in jeopardy, with Democrats eyeing pickup opportunities in races once deemed improbable for them. Democrats need a net gain of four seats to win the majority, but have made inroads in states like Alaska, Ohio, Kansas and South Carolina while remaining competitive in Iowa, Maine and Texas.

On the House side, support for Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, is less certain if the GOP loses control of the chamber, an event many pundits and pollsters expect.

President Donald Trump posted this week that Johnson is a “strong and fearless Speaker” who is “able to get things done when nobody else can! As Speaker, Mike is working tirelessly to deliver and codify our very successful America first and Make America Great Again Agenda.”

A two-hour forum for candidates will take place the morning of Nov. 10, Politico first reported, followed by members casting their votes later that afternoon for the positions of leader, whip and conference chair.

While the floor vote for speaker doesn’t take place until January, if the GOP does retain control of the House, they would also nominate a speaker.