Johnson tells House GOP he has no challengers for leadership race

Speaker Mike Johnson told House Republicans behind closed doors that he doesn’t have any challengers to his candidacy right now, according to four people familiar with the matter. The private comments come after two people familiar with the private discussions told POLITICO on Tuesday night that members of the House Freedom Caucus would not throw […]

Biden is about to have the meeting he’s been dreading with Trump

Nearly four years after he walked out of the White House in the aftermath of a violent insurrection, President-elect Donald Trump will re-enter the building on Wednesday to meet with President Joe Biden in the Oval Office. By inviting Trump, Biden is extending to his predecessor and successor a formal courtesy that Trump didn’t give […]

State of Congress: Republicans near formal House majority

More than a week after Election Day, there are just a dozen House races left uncalled by the Associated Press. Republicans currently have 216 seats — just two away from formally clinching the majority — while Democrats have 207. In the remaining uncalled contests, Republicans currently lead in six, while Democrats have the advantage in […]

GOP Rep. Valadao holds Central Valley, California, swing seat

California Republican Rep. David Valadao will maintain his grip on his swing seat in the Central Valley. Valadao was a top target for Democrats, who were hoping an uptick in voter turnout this year could finally clinch the district they’ve been eyeing for several cycles. He has represented the area for nearly a decade — […]

Freedom Caucus backs off plan to push a challenger to Johnson

House conservatives are planning to force an internal vote on Mike Johnson’s speakership during Wednesday’s leadership election instead of throwing in an alternate candidate, two people familiar with the discussions told POLITICO. Johnson’s critics in the House Freedom Caucus have been deliberating for days over how to push back against proposed internal rules changes and […]

Democrat Dave Min keeps Katie Porter’s House seat blue

Republican Scott Baugh has conceded to Democratic state legislator Dave Min in a heated race to succeed California Rep. Katie Porter, ensuring the toss-up Orange County district remains in the Democratic column. “I was looking forward to working with Democrats, Republicans and @therealdonaldtrump to solve serious problems like an open border, increasing crime, and runaway […]

Elon Musk to lead ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ in Trump administration

The world’s richest person has a new job. Elon Musk will lead a newly created “Department of Government Efficiency” that will spearhead efforts to shrink the federal government, President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday. Musk will work with fellow Trump acolyte Vivek Ramaswamy to run DOGE — a winking reference to a joke cryptocurrency – and […]

Eric Hovde sows doubt on Wisconsin Senate results

Wisconsin GOP Senate candidate Eric Hovde is casting doubt on the results of his election following his loss to Democratic incumbent Sen. Tammy Baldwin. “I was shocked by what unfolded on election night,” he said in a video posted to social media Tuesday. “At 1 a.m. I was receiving calls of congratulations, and based on […]