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Kevin McCarthy
The BBC’s partner in the US, CBS, predicts that a week after the midterm elections, Republicans have secured the 218 seats needed for a majority in the House of Representatives.
Although the Republicans have a very small lead in the House of Representatives, it is enough to delay President Biden’s agenda for the next two years.
Democrats will retain control of the Senate when the new Congress gathers in January.
Republicans, who had hoped to win back control of both houses of Congress, underperformed expectations in last week’s midterm elections.
But in Wednesday’s election, incumbent Mike Garcia of California’s 27th District won, giving Republicans the one seat they need for a majority in the House of Representatives.
According to CBS, Republicans are currently expected to win up to 223 of the 435 seats in the House of Representatives.
But their majorities may not be certain for days or even weeks as the counting of votes in questionable constituencies is still underway.
Grassroots Republicans nominated Kevin McCarthy to replace Democrat Nancy Pelosi as the next House speaker on Tuesday, celebrating his “official comeback” of the House.
“Americans are ready for a new direction, and House Republicans are ready to make it happen,” the California congressman tweeted Wednesday night.
To be elected speaker of the House of Representatives, House Minority Leader Republicans must win a majority of the House’s 435 members.
But Pelosi hinted that she would not quietly give up the speakership of the House of Representatives. In a statement Wednesday night, she vowed that her party would “exert strong leverage over the narrow Republican majority”.
As the first female Speaker of the House, Pelosi, 82, did not mention in her press release whether she intends to remain minority leader, amid speculation about her future in Washington.
US President Biden congratulated McCarthy and expressed his willingness to work with Republicans to deliver results for the American people.
“As I said last week, the future is very promising and you can’t get caught up in political battles,” Biden said.
“The American people want us to make a difference. They want us to focus on the issues that matter to them and make their lives better.”
Republicans had hoped that the president’s relatively low approval ratings, intractable inflation and a Republican-led legislature redrawing the map of Congress would give them midterm victory.
The blame for the party’s poor performance last week fell largely on two leaders: former President Trump and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
On Tuesday night at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, Trump formally announced his third bid for the 2024 presidency.
In Washington on Wednesday, McConnell was re-elected as Senate Minority Leader, fending off a challenge from Florida Republican Rick Scott.
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Karen Bass (right) won the mayoral election in Los Angeles.
The results of the non-parliamentary elections are still slowly emerging more than a week after Election Day.
Congresswoman Karen Bass defeated billionaire businessman Rick Caruso on Wednesday and is expected to become the next mayor of Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States.
The Democrat will become Los Angeles’ first female mayor and the second black mayor in the city’s history.
Can the Pissy Republican Party Unite?
Anthony Zurcher
Nancy Pelosi has come a long way by a mere nine-seat margin, and she has proven to have an extraordinary talent for arguing with stubborn Democrats. But there’s no guarantee that Republicans, from moderates in hotly contested suburban districts to conservative hardliners in the Freedom Caucus, will likewise cooperate with the party’s leadership.
Still, a majority is a majority, and assuming Republicans can unite to elect a speaker when the full House votes next January, they will reap the rewards of a midterm victory. Under House rules, the majority party has the power to decide which legislation gets a vote and which hangs in the balance. Republicans would also take control of all House committees, with sweeping oversight and subpoena powers.
While the fractious Republican caucus may not agree on many issues, they will be able to block Biden’s agenda, forcing them to contest federal budget priorities.
That in itself is a significant achievement for a party that has seen Democrats deliver a string of legislative successes over the past two years.