Reporter's Notebook: Congress braces for post-election game of musical chairs as leadership battles loom

Congress faces a round of internal leadership contests once the midterm results are known, with both parties in the House and Senate choosing their top officials in the coming weeks. The full House will then elect a speaker when the new Congress convenes on Jan. 3, while the majority party in the Senate selects its own majority leader, according to Fox News.

The biggest uncertainty is on the Republican side of the House. If the GOP keeps its majority, Fox News expects the current team to stay put: Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana, Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota. A loss would change the math, since a minority party holds two top posts rather than three. That raises questions about whether Johnson would accept the minority leader job, whether Scalise would move into it or become whip, and where Emmer would land. According to Fox News, whoever President Donald Trump prefers as the House GOP's top figure would get the role.

Rep. Jim Jordan is described as clearly wanting that position, having campaigned for candidates and raised money for the party for years. Whether he would challenge Johnson or anyone else is unclear.

Summarized by PolitiKool from Fox News’s reporting. Read the full story at Fox News →