Where things stand in House races: Republicans appear to be inching closer to the 218 seats that would deliver them a House majority, but 16 congressional races — including several in California — remain uncalled.
Meanwhile in Georgia: The state’s Senate contest is headed to a Dec. 6 runoff, and a Democratic victory there would broaden the party’s majority in the chamber.
GOP leadership elections: As control of the House hangs in the balance, Republicans held a candidate forum Monday. It will be followed by internal leadership elections on Tuesday.
43 Posts
Our live coverage of the 2022 midterm elections has moved. You can follow the latest news and results here.
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CNN Projection: Juan Ciscomani will win Arizona's 6th Congressional District
By CNN staff
Republican Juan Ciscomani will win Arizona’s 6th Congressional District, CNN projects, defeating Democrat Kirsten Engel.
Ciscomani, who was born in Mexico and immigrated to the US with his family as a child, will be the first Latino Republican elected to Congress from Arizona. He previously worked at the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and was a senior adviser to Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey.
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Rep. Andy Biggs confirms he will challenge McCarthy to lead House GOP conference
From CNN's Manu Raju
Rep. Clay Higgins shakes hands with Rep. Andy Biggs during a forum on November 14 in Washington, DC.
(Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Rep. Andy Biggs confirmed tonight that he will challenge Kevin McCarthy to lead the House GOP conference and possibly become Speaker of the House if Republicans take control of the chamber.
CNN has not yet projected which party will control the House.
Some context: The vote to elect the next speaker will take place in January at the start of the new Congress, but House Republicans are holding their internal leadership elections to pick a speaker nominee this week.
Biggs’ challenge is meant to demonstrate that McCarthy lacks 218 votes to become speaker in January – if the GOP wins control of the House – an effort by the hard-line Freedom Caucus to force the GOP leader to make concessions to weaken his potential speakership and empower the rank-and-file.
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Liz Cheney trolls Kari Lake over her projected loss to Katie Hobbs in Arizona
From CNN's Kate Sullivan
Liz Cheney is reacting to Katie Hobbs’ projected win in the Arizona governor’s race, with a sarcastic tweet responding to a sarcastic letter Republican candidate Kari Lake sent Cheney last month.
Cheney’s PAC spent $500,000 on an ad urging Arizona voters to reject Lake, who is a fervent 2020 election denier.
Lake responded by thanking Cheney on the campaign trail for getting involved in the race and said her campaign raised hundreds of thousands of dollars because of Cheney.
CNN Projection: Republican Brandon Williams will win New York’s 22nd Congressional District
From CNN’s Gregory Krieg
(Brandon Williams for Congress/Facebook)
Republican Brandon Williams will win New York’s 22nd Congressional District, CNN projects, defeating Democrat Francis Conole in the race to replace retiring GOP Rep. John Katko.
Republican and Democratic groups pumped millions into the swing-seat contest, which broke narrowly for Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.
The moderate Katko’s departure kicked off a wide-open primary that eventually saw both parties nominate Navy veterans.
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CNN Projection: Republican Rep. David Schweikert will win Arizona’s 1st Congressional District
CNN Projection: Democrat Katie Hobbs will defeat Republican Kari Lake in Arizona gubernatorial race
From CNN's Maeve Reston
Katie Hobbs participates in a press conference in Tucson, Arizona on Octob
(Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Democrat Katie Hobbs will win Arizona’s governor’s race, CNN projects, defeating one of the most prominent defenders of former President Donald Trump’s lies about the 2020 election.
Calling the 2020 election rigged, Republican Kari Lake had repeatedly said she would not have certified Joe Biden’s win in Arizona in 2020. Hobbs, as Arizona’s secretary of state, had rejected GOP lies about the election.
Before the projection, Lake had already begun sowing doubts about the 2022 results.
During an appearance on right-wing activist Charlie Kirk’s talk show Thursday, she said, “I hate that they’re slow-rolling and dragging their feet and delaying the inevitable. They don’t want to put out the truth, which is that we won.”
There is no evidence that the election officials were delaying the reporting of results. At a news conference Thursday, Bill Gates, chairman of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, called out Lake’s comments. “It is offensive for Kari Lake to say that these people behind me are slow-rolling this when they are working 14-18 hours,” Gates, a Republican, said, gesturing to the election workers who were involved in tallying the ballots behind him through a glass window.
Lake, a former news anchor at Fox 10 in Phoenix, ascended quickly to become one of the most prominent Republicans in the 2022 cycle as she and Hobbs vied to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Doug Ducey. The outgoing governor had endorsed Lake’s primary opponent, but then backed Lake in the general election.
Hobbs, a former social worker who worked with victims of domestic violence before becoming a state lawmaker, ran a far more low-key and understated campaign, limiting her access to reporters and holding small, intimate events with supporters. She made democracy and abortion rights her central focus, portraying Lake as an “extreme” and “dangerous” figure who could jeopardize the sanctity of the 2024 presidential election by refusing to certify the results.
Lake hewed closely to the Trump playbook on more than just the 2020 election. She promised to declare an “invasion” at the border — in what she described as an effort to amass greater power for the governor’s office to address the migrant crisis — and she called for the arrest of both of Dr. Anthony Fauci and her Democratic opponent.
Before announcing her bid, Lake left her anchor job in 2021 — stating that she didn’t like the direction that journalism was going — after becoming a household name in Phoenix. In one of her campaign videos, she said she was taking a sledgehammer to “leftist lies and propaganda,” as she destroyed television sets with the tool in stiletto boots.
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Hobbs' lead narrows after Maricopa County releases new ballots
From CNN staff
Maricopa County, Arizona’s most populous county, released more than 71,000 votes Monday evening, slightly narrowing the lead held by Democrat Katie Hobbs over Republican candidate Kari Lake for the state’s governor’s race.
In the first installment of votes released, Lake got about 57% of the votes vs 43% for Hobbs, CNN’s John King noted.
It’s unclear, he said, if that will be enough to overtake Hobbs’ lead.
Arizona's election system may not be quick, but it is thorough, secretary of state-elect says
Workers examine ballots on computer screens as part of the Adjudication Board area inside the tabulation area at the Maricopa County Recorder's Office in Phoenix on Monday.
The state is expecting to release more results Monday night. Fontes thanked election officials across Arizona for the work they have done processing ballots since Election Day.
Fontes told CNN that as the new election chief, he does not plan to make changes to Arizona’s election system because “there’s no reason to.”
The new elections chief added that the difference between recent years and past elections is the tight margins. This means it takes longer for races to be projected because not one candidate is winning by a large number of votes, he said.
Fontes, a Democrat, defeated Republican challenger Mark Finchem, a self-proclaimed member of the far-right extremist group the Oath Keepers, who called the 2020 election “irredeemably compromised.”
Though Fontes won the election, he said he doesn’t think the state is past the moment of people distrusting the vote counting system.
“I’m proud to do that work as well as I can — working with the coalition of independents and Republicans who came forward in my campaign to help us bring reason and some truth into these processes,” Fontes added.
Some context: In Arizona, in addition to in-person voting, voters have the option to mail or drop off their ballots on Election Day. The state doesn’t even start the important process of signature verification on any of those ballots until the Wednesday after the election, according to officials.
Most states have some sort of signature verification system for their absentee and mail-in ballots, according to a tally from the National Conference of State Legislatures.
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McCarthy pledges to kick Omar, Swalwell and Schiff off key committees if he becomes speaker
From CNN's Melanie Zanona
House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy promised Monday that he would kick key Democrats off committees if his party gains control of the lower chamber.
McCarthy said that he would remove Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Democratic Reps. Eric Swalwell and Adam Schiff from the House Intelligence Committee, according to a source in the room during a Republican conference leadership forum.
The California Republican is vying to become speaker of the House.
CNN has not yet projected which party will control the lower chamber, though Republicans appear on track to gain a narrow House majority.
Some context: The vote to elect the next speaker will take place in January at the start of the new Congress, but House Republicans are holding their internal leadership elections to pick a speaker nominee this week.
Republicans held a candidate forum Monday evening. It will be followed by leadership elections on Tuesday, according to a copy of the schedule shared with CNN.
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Sen. Josh Hawley: "This election was the funeral for the Republican Party as we know it"
From CNN's Ali Zaslav
Sen. Josh Hawley is seen during a Senate Arms Services committee confirmation hearing in 2021.
(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc/Getty Images)
GOP Sen. Josh Hawley on Monday said the midterm election “was the funeral for the Republican Party as we know it.”
“I think that this election was the funeral for the Republican Party as we know it,” he said at the US Capitol as he headed to vote. “The Republican Party as we have known it is dead –– and voters have made that clear.”
The Missouri senator added:
On whether he supports Trump running in 2024, Hawley said, “I’m not gonna give him advice, he’ll choose to do what he’s gonna do.”
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Analysis: These Republicans admit the party has an extremism problem
Are they going to be the party of former President Donald Trump or a party that wins elections?
Are they going to be able to excise the “extremism” in their party that more Republicans are openly talking about?
First test: The first indication of where the party is headed will come this week when Republicans, anticipating they will ultimately hold a slim House majority, choose their nominee for speaker.
Some of the most Trump-aligned lawmakers want Rep. Kevin McCarthy to commit to a more combative stance against the Biden administration. While McCarthy expects to prevail, the unfolding drama will show what he has to sacrifice to keep Republicans in the House on the same page. CNN reported Monday that Trump has been quietly working to shore up support for McCarthy.
Moving beyond extremism: Two moderate Republican governors who will be handing over their jobs to Democrats next year are speaking out about how their party failed in a year when it should have romped.
“Voters, generally speaking, especially in battleground states, aren’t interested in extremism. They just aren’t,” Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker told CNN’s Jake Tapper in an interview that aired Monday on “The Lead.” Baker, who will be replaced by Democratic attorney general Maura Healey in January, said Trump’s influence hurt Republicans on Election Day and is driving people from the party.
Third strike for Trump: Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, long a Trump critic, was more unvarnished in his criticism during an interview Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“Commonsense conservatives that focused on talking about issues people cared about, like the economy and crime and education, they did win,” Hogan told Dana Bash. “But people who tried to relitigate the 2020 election and focused on conspiracy theories and talked about things the voters didn’t care about, they were almost universally rejected.”
In that regard, American voters were sophisticated, splitting tickets to elect Republicans in certain races and Democrats in others.
Hogan, who will be replaced by Democrat Wes Moore in January, said this is the third straight election Trump has cost Republicans. “It’s like three strikes, you’re out,” he said, adding, “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result. And Donald Trump kept saying, ‘We’re going to be winning so much, we will get tired of winning.’ I’m tired of losing. I mean, that’s all he’s done.”
Others are not quite as direct, even if they’re saying some similar things.
No candidate announced a run against McCarthy for House GOP leadership, sources say
From CNN's Manu Raju, Annie Grayer and Melanie Zanona
No candidate stood up to announce a run against House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy once he finished speaking and taking questions at a post-election Republican conference meeting Monday, according to two sources in the room.
A candidate can still stand up to run tomorrow when the leadership election is held.
Some context: The vote to elect the next speaker will take place in January at the start of the new Congress, but House Republicans are holding their internal leadership elections to pick a speaker nominee this week.
Republicans held a candidate forum Monday evening. It will be followed by leadership elections on Tuesday, according to a copy of the schedule shared with CNN.
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McCarthy addressed Republican conference and got a standing ovation
From CNN's Manu Raju
Kevin McCarthy arrives to meet behind closed doors at the US Capitol on November 14.
(J. Scott Applewhite/AP)
House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy addressed the Republican conference behind closed doors Monday and got a standing ovation at the first post-election meeting, according to a source familiar with the meeting.
It was a call for unity, a source said, adding that McCarthy said, “We will win as a team — or we will lose as individuals.”
One member in the room said McCarthy was taking questions from lawmakers in the audience. Some members were standing up to show support, while others raised concerns to see what rule changes McCarthy will make.
Rep. Matt Gaetz asked McCarthy if he would try to solicit or accept speaker votes from any Democrats, according to a source in the room. McCarthy told him “no.”
Sources told CNN today that McCarthy allies had tried to convince moderate Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar to switch parties. The Texas congressman’s office said it was not an idea he would entertain.
Some context: The vote to elect the next speaker will take place in January at the start of the new Congress, but House Republicans will hold their internal leadership elections to pick a speaker nominee this week.
Republicans are holding a candidate forum on Monday evening, followed by leadership elections on Tuesday, according to a copy of the schedule shared with CNN.
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McCarthy allies tried to convince moderate Democrat to switch parties
From CNN's Daniella Diaz, Melanie Zanona and Manu Raju
With a razor-thin majority looking likely, allies of House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy recently attempted to convince moderate Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar to switch parties in hopes of padding their slim margins, according to two sources familiar with the conversation. But Cuellar flatly rejected the idea, the sources said.
McCarthy’s spokesperson said the Republican leader was not involved if these conversations took place and said this is not in any way part of their strategy for the majority or for his speakership bid.
“Anyone suggesting this is simply exercising in fan fiction,” said McCarthy spokesperson Mark Bednar. “Leader McCarthy is going to be elected Speaker by the current and newly-elected members of the House Republican Conference. Our efforts are exclusively focused on bringing our conference together and saving the country.”
Cuellar’s office did not confirm whether he spoke to any McCarthy allies about switching parties but made clear it was not an idea he would entertain.
"They don't want extremes." Outgoing Massachusetts GOP governor on the lesson from voters in the midterms
From CNN's Eric Bradner
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker attends the Massachusetts 9/11 Fund's official Annual Commemoration on September 11.
(Carlin Stiehl/The Boston Globe/Getty Images)
Charlie Baker, the moderate Republican governor of Massachusetts, said former President Donald Trump’s influence hurt their party in this year’s midterm elections as voters demonstrated they “aren’t interested in extremism.”
In an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, Baker said Trump “hurt the party’s chances on Election Day, not just here in Massachusetts and Maryland, but in many of those other battleground states.”
In this year’s midterm elections, across key battleground states, including Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, Trump endorsed candidates who embraced his lies about widespread election fraud. Most of those candidates lost.
Baker said Republicans need to learn as a result of the midterms that voters aren’t interested in extreme candidates — an implicit suggestion that Trump’s endorsements proved costly.
Baker, who is set to depart office after two terms in the deep-blue state’s governor’s office, said he thinks voters want “elected officials who are going to reach out, who are going to engage with the so-called other side and who are going to take seriously this idea that you are supposed to try to represent and hear the voices of all of the people that you serve.”
“I think in the midterms, one of the big lessons that the Republican Party nationally needs to take away from it is voters want collaborative elected officials. They don’t want extremes,” he added.
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Congress can have a "great two years if we work together," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer says
From CNN's Ali Zaslav
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer arrives at the US Capitol on November 14.
(Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Monday said his plans for the Democratic majority in the next two years include working on accomplishing as much bipartisan legislation as possible.
“We can have a great, great two years if we work together,” he said, in remarks on the Senate floor as the chamber returned from recess.
Speaking to his caucus, Schumer said “let us proceed in the next two years by putting people first and getting things done even if we have to compromise. We may not accomplish everything we want, but if we can get real things done that will measure how good a Congress we can be.”
“Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good,” he added, pointing to the successful bipartisan gun and mental health deal as an example.
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McConnell says he has enough votes to be Senate GOP leader
From CNN's Alex Rogers
Asked if he had enough votes to remain Senate GOP leader, Mitch McConnell told reporters in the Capitol on Monday, “of course.”
He declined to answer questions about whether former President Donald Trump should delay announcing a 2024 presidential campaign or comment on calls to delay the Senate GOP leadership elections.
A potential challenger: Sen. Rick Scott, a Republican from Florida, says he hasn’t made a decision yet on whether to challenge McConnell on Wednesday when leadership elections are scheduled.
“I haven’t made a decision yet,” Scott told CNN, adding that he was headed to McConnell’s office for a leadership meeting.
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Potential McCarthy challenger won’t confirm his bid for House speaker but says "nobody has 218 votes"
From CNN's Annie Grayer
Rep. Andy Biggs attends a roundtable discussion with members of the House Freedom Caucus on November 10.
(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc./Getty Images)
Republican Rep. Andy Biggs, a former chairman of the pro-Trump House Freedom Caucus, would not confirm to CNN if he is mounting a long-shot challenge to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy at the House GOP’s internal leadership elections on Tuesday, but was confident there will be a challenger.
Asked if there will be a challenge made in the GOP leadership candidate forum tonight, Biggs said, “I’m just going to stick to my statement.”
While McCarthy is not worried about any challengers and only needs a simple majority during Tuesday’s vote to become the GOP’s speaker nominee — the real test would come in January when he would need 218 votes on the floor — the likely challenge from Biggs could expose how McCarthy is currently short of 218 votes and open up uncomfortable conversations about why an oft-promised “red wave” never materialized.
The balance of the House is yet to be determined, but a razor-thin GOP majority looks likely.
Catch up: These are the 19 House races that are yet to be called by CNN
From CNN's Andrew Menezes
The chamber of the House of Representatives at the US Capitol is seen on February 28.
(J. Scott Applewhite/AP)
As you tune into CNN’s election coverage Monday afternoon, here are the 19 races that are yet to be called.
Alaska’s At-Large District: Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola was the surprise winner of a special election in August to succeed the late GOP Rep. Don Young. She is in a rematch with former Gov. Sarah Palin, the 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee, and Republican businessman Nick Begich in her bid for a full term.
Arizona: As of late Saturday, an estimated 290,000 votes were left to be counted. Two of Arizona’s nine House races remain uncalled as of Sunday afternoon
Arizona’s 1st District – Six-term GOP Rep. David Schweikert, who was previously reprimanded by the House for ethics violations, is locked in a close race with Democrat Jevin Hodge for this redrawn and renumbered Phoenix-area seat.
Arizona’s 6th District – Republican Juan Ciscomani, a former senior adviser to Gov. Doug Ducey, and Democrat Kirsten Engel, a former state senator, are competing for this redrawn and renumbered district that covers southeastern Arizona and includes parts of Tucson.
California has 10 uncalled races: CNN has not yet projected who will win California’s 34th District but is counting it as part of the Democrats’ total because both candidates are Democrats.) These include races in the 3rd District, 9th District, 13th District, 21st District, 22nd District, 27th District, 41st District, 45th District, 47th District, 49th District.
Colorado: It gained an eighth seat in reapportionment after the 2020 census. Two races remain uncalled.
Colorado’s 3rd District – Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert surprisingly finds herself in a tight race for her Western Slope district that became redder in redistricting. Her Democratic opponent is Adam Frisch, a former Aspen City councilman, and an automatic recount is possible.
Colorado’s 8th District – Democratic state Rep. Yadira Caraveo and Republican state Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer were competing for this newly drawn seat north of Denver. Biden would have carried it by less than 5 points in 2020. CNN has not made a projection in this race, though Kirkmeyer has conceded to Caraveo.
Maine’s 2nd District: The state, like Alaska, uses ranked-choice voting to decide its winners in federal elections.In the 2nd District,Democratic Rep. Jared Golden and former Republican Rep. Bruce Poliquin could see their race decided by the state’s ranked-choice voting system for a second time. Neither candidate nor independent Tiffany Bond had cleared 50% of the vote as of Sunday afternoon for a district that covers much of the state north of Portland.
New Mexico’s 2nd District: Republican Rep. Yvette Herrell trails Democrat Gabe Vasquez in her bid for a second term representing a district that now includes parts of southern and western New Mexico and that became more Democratic in redistricting. While Herrell has conceded the race, CNN has not yet made a projection.
New York’s 22nd District: Republican Brandon Williams and Democrat Francis Conole, both Navy veterans, are competing for this redrawn Central New York district. It’s an open seat that Biden would have carried by under 8 points.
Oregon’s 6th District: Elections are conducted entirely by mail. Ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and can be received up to seven days later. The state gained a new House seat in redistricting. Democratic state Rep. Andrea Salinas and Republican businessman Mike Erickson are competing for this newly drawn district, which includes Salem. Biden would have carried it by 13 points in 2020.
CNN’s Maeve Reston, Eric Bradner and Renée Rigdon contributed reporting to this post.
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Ronna McDaniel says she intends to seek reelection as RNC chair
From CNN's Jeff Zeleny, Dana Bash, Gabby Orr, Kristen Holmes and Melanie Zanona
Ronna McDaniel takes the stage before Kevin McCarthy at an election night party in Washington, DC, on Tuesday.
(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc./Getty Images)
Ronna McDaniel, chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, told members that she intends to seek reelection for another term – in hopes of leading the party through the 2024 presidential campaign, according to people familiar with a conference call Monday.
As recriminations intensify over a disappointing midterm election cycle for Republicans, and after Democrats held their Senate majority, dissatisfaction is spilling out into public view as the party moves to leadership elections in the House, Senate and the RNC.
On an early-afternoon call, McDaniel told members that she intended to run for a fourth term — and asked for their support.
She has received private support from about 100 members, an aide said, even as an appetite for new leadership is coursing through some sectors of the party.
She was first chosen to lead the RNC when former President Donald Trump took office.
The two have worked closely together over the past five years, with occasional dustups, but he has not publicly signaled his intentions about who he would like to see lead the national party.
Possible challengers: One possible challenge could emerge from South Dakota as Gov. Kristi Noem has fielded calls from top GOP donors urging her to mount a bid for chair of the RNC, CNN has learned.
Sources familiar with the matter said Noem, who glided to reelection last Tuesday, has been contacted by several major RNC donors who are seeking a change in leadership following an underwhelming midterm cycle for Republicans.
Noem’s communications director Ian Fury declined “to confirm or deny” attempts to recruit Noem for the high-profile position.
It is unclear whether Noem is interested in the job at this point. Sources said the South Dakota Republican, who has previously been floated as a potential running mate if Donald Trump launches a successful bid for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, received a call from the former president immediately after her reelection victory. She has been invited to appear at his expected 2024 campaign announcement on Tuesday, these sources said.
Republican Rep. Lee Zeldin, who mounted a better-than-expected but ultimately unsuccessful bid for New York governor this year, has also been fielding calls encouraging him to run for RNC chair, a source with knowledge of the conversations told CNN. NBC first reported that Zeldin was taking calls encouraging him to run.
Meanwhile, Tommy Hicks, co-chair of the committee, said in a statement Monday he would not seek re-election for a third term. Hicks, who has served as co-chairman for four years, said in a letter to RNC members it was time for him to focus on his family.
Trump has also kept a close relationship with McDaniel and Hicks, though Republicans have been speculating whether there will be a shakeup at the RNC following Tuesday’s disappointing GOP midterm results.
Following the midterms, “someone new needs to run and clean house at the RNC,” one Trump adviser told CNN.
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Freedom Caucus meets with Kevin McCarthy on eve of internal House leadership elections
From CNN's Melanie Zanona
On the day before the House Republican’s internal leadership elections, several members of the pro-Trump House Freedom Caucus met with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy in his office as they seek to extract concessions from him in exchange for their speaker vote.
Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Perry said that while McCarthy has been willing to hear them out, he doesn’t see the current minority leader cutting any deals until after Tuesday, when Perry is “99% confident” that someone will challenge McCarthy to show him he doesn’t have the 218 votes he would need on the House floor in January.
“I don’t think anything’s gonna really change between now and then,” Perry told CNN leaving the meeting in McCarthy’s office.
Virginia Rep. Bob Good, who said McCarthy faces “an uphill climb” to the speakership, said they’ve asked McCarthy to bring to them his proposal for running the House.
Perry said that while their primary focus has been seeking rules changes that would empower individual members — and weaken the speaker — that is “not the limit” of their issues.
Perry also said the House Freedom Caucus has not taken an official position on the speaker’s race. Indeed, not everyone in the group is on board with their hardline strategy.
Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene said on a podcast earlier today she thinks it’s “risky” and a “bad strategy” to challenge McCarthy, given that the GOP will likely have a razor-thin majority, and wants to see her party united.
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Sen. Ted Cruz on McConnell: He would "rather be a leader than have a Republican majority"
From CNN's Ali Zaslav
Sen. Ted Cruz departs after a vote on Capitol Hill on September 29.
(Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post/Getty Images)
Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, rebuked GOP Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday and said that he would “rather be leader than have a Republican majority.”
The Texas senator said McConnell pulled campaign support via the Senate Leadership Fund from races of candidates who said they wouldn’t support him as Senate GOP leader.
Asked why the PAC with ties to McConnell pulled funds out from Arizona, Cruz said, “because (Blake) Masters said he would vote against Mitch McConnell.”
He added, “Mitch made a decision, it’s more important to him to have Republicans who will back him, than it is to have 51 Republicans. I understand why there’s a certain selfishness that justifies that it just doesn’t make any sense if you give a damn about the country.”
McConnell’s office didn’t immediately reply to CNN’s request for comment.
The Texas Republican also reiterated his call to delay Senate leadership elections until after the Georgia runoff on Dec 6.
“It would be insane if we reelect the same leadership two days from now,” he said. “If we say, ‘Hey nothing happened everything’s good,’ keep rowing off the waterfall, crash into the rocks everything’s awesome. Listen if you have the number one team in the nation and you get crushed… you know what happens? They fire the coach. The idea that we would have leadership elections on Wednesday is insane.”
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Key things to know about the upcoming House leadership elections
From CNN's Clare Foran, Melanie Zanona and Annie Grayer
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy has declared his bid for the speakership.
(Mary F. Calvert/Reuters)
A new Congress won’t be sworn in until January and control of the House has not yet been determined, but Republicans appear on track to recapture the chamber and the race to determine who will serve as the next speaker is underway.
House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy has officially declared his bid for the speakership, but is already facing headwinds from members of the hardline, pro-Trump House Freedom Caucus who are threatening to withhold their support as they hope to extract concessions. On the Democratic side, Nancy Pelosi, the current House speaker, has not yet made clear what her next move will be.
When votes will happen: The vote to elect the next speaker will take place in January at the start of the new Congress, but House Republicans will hold an internal candidate forum on Monday evening, followed by leadership elections on Tuesday, Nov. 15, according to a copy of the schedule shared with CNN.
The elections are conducted behind closed doors and are done via secret ballot. In the GOP’s internal leadership elections, McCarthy only needs a simple majority to win his party’s nomination for speaker. That is expected to happen, but McCarthy could still fall short of 218 votes – the magic number needed to win the speaker’s gavel in January.
House Democratic leadership elections have been announced for Wednesday, Nov. 30. Voting will take place behind closed doors via secret ballot using an app. This meeting will be for the next House Democratic Caucus Chair and whoever is elected to that role will administer the rest of the leadership elections.
What to watch from the Republicans: McCarthy has been working the phones locking down support from across the conference and has received former President Donald Trump’s endorsement. But it could be a rocky road — Members of the pro-Trump House Freedom Caucus are threatening to withhold support for McCarthy’s speakership bid and have begun to lay out their list of demands.
McCarthy and his team are confident he will ultimately get the votes to be speaker. And two would-be challengers, Reps. Jim Jordan and Steve Scalise, the current House GOP whip, have lined up behind his speakership bid.
What to watch from Nancy Pelosi: What happens in Democratic leadership elections revolves around the key question of what Pelosi decides to do. If she runs again for leadership, such a move would also likely surprise, and even frustrate, many in Washington, including members of her own party, who have been anticipating that she might step aside for a new generation of leadership to take the reins.
If Pelosi does not run for the top leadership post, it would set the stage for a major shakeup in House Democratic leadership and mark the end of an era for Washington. The move would kick off a fight for her successor that could expose divisions within the party as other prominent members of the party look to move up the leadership ladder.
That means of the 19 House races that have not been projected yet, Republicans need to win at least six seats and Democrats need to win at least 14 of them.
Of those outstanding races where votes are still being counted, Republicans are winning in 10 districts and Democrats are leading in nine, according to CNN’s latest count of results.
Watchdog files FEC complaint alleging Donald Trump is breaking campaign finance law
From CNN's Fredreka Schouten
Former President Donald Trump speaks to the media on Election Day.
(Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
A watchdog group said it filed a complaint Monday with federal regulators, alleging that former President Donald Trump has violated campaign finance law by injecting big sums into a super PAC likely to benefit his 2024 campaign.
The complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) by the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center comes on the eve of Trump’s expected announcement Tuesday of a third presidential bid.
The group alleges that the October transfer of $20 million from Trump’s leadership PAC into an aligned super PAC, MAGA Inc., violates a federal prohibition against candidates spending so-called “soft money,” or funds that exceed federal contribution limits.
CNN has reached out to a Trump spokesperson for a response.
A spokesperson with the Federal Election Commission declined to comment, citing the agency’s standard policy of not discussing pending legal matters. It can take several days for the agency to confirm receipt of complaints, which are vetted first by its Office of General Counsel.
More background: Under contribution limits in place for the 2022 elections, federal candidates cannot collect more than $2,900 from an individual donor or $5,000 from a multi-candidate political action committee for a primary or general election.
In addition, candidates are barred from coordinating their spending decisions with super PACs, which can raise unlimited sums. The cap on the size of contributions to federal candidates increases in modest increments every election cycle.
Outgoing Massachusetts Republican Gov. Charlie Baker told CNN that the biggest takeaway for his party this midterm cycle is that voters do not want extremism in politics.
“I think the biggest issue that played out in the midterms is something that I’ve talked about a lot over the course of the past eight years, which is voters, generally speaking, especially in battleground states, aren’t interested in extremism,” Baker told CNN’s Jake Tapper in an interview.
Incoming House Democrats criticize Republican extremism and won’t say if they'll back Pelosi for leadership
From CNN's Manu Raju and Morgan Rimmer
Rep.-elect Maxwell Frost speaks to reporters Monday in Washington, D.C.
(J. Scott Applewhite/AP)
Democratic Rep.-elect Hillary Scholten, who flipped Michigan’s 3rd Congressional District last week, told CNN’s Manu Raju that Republicans underperformed due to extremism in their party. She faced an election-denying candidate — John Gibbs — whom Democrats propped up to defeat Republican Peter Meijer in the GOP primary.
Another new Democratic member, Rep.-elect Maxwell Frost of Florida, said that recent mass shootings and the Dobbs decision combined to create “an environment that was good for Democrats,” because of “what we’re fighting for.”
“I do think we should have young people represented in leadership as well. I don’t think it should just be young people, but I think it’s important,” he said.
Neither Scholten nor Frost would commit to supporting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi if she ran for leadership again, though Frost indicated he’d back President Joe Biden again and called him one of the most progressive presidents.
“I don’t know, let’s see what she decides,” said Frost of Pelosi.
Scholten told CNN, “I think we’re gonna take a look at whoever is running and decide who’s the best representative for the United States Congress to serve the people of West Michigan.”
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Trump is working to protect McCarthy as he seeks support for 2024 bid, sources say
From CNN's Gabby Orr and Melanie Zanona
Then-President Donald Trump speaks beside Kevin McCarthy in West Palm Beach, Florida, in 2018.
(Nicho
On the eve of his expected announcement for a third presidential campaign, former President Donald Trump has been privately encouraging allies to support House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s bid for House speaker, according to two sources familiar with the effort, believing that the California Republican will be an asset down the road should the former president find himself in a contested 2024 primary.
Trump reaffirmed his support for McCarthy’s leadership bid in an interview with Fox News last week and he has since been working the phones to persuade Republican allies to back him, particularly conservative members who remain skeptical of McCarthy.
Trump and McCarthy have spoken multiple times since the midterm elections, sources said, and McCarthy’s camp is hoping Trump’s endorsement will help win over some of the staunchest Trump supporters who have been critical of McCarthy.
Despite Trump’s pro-McCarthy campaign, it hasn’t fully broken through. Some of Trump’s staunchest allies have been all over conservative media attacking McCarthy. However, one notable Trump ally went on Steve Bannon’s podcast on Monday and expressed support for McCarthy: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who called it a “bad strategy” and “risky” to challenge McCarthy given their likely razor-thin majority.
Meanwhile, Trump aides and allies have been privately critical of Tom Emmer, head of the National Republican Congressional Committee, amid the GOP’s underwhelming midterm gains, especially on the House side. CNN has not yet projected which party will control the lower chamber, though Republicans appear on track to gain a narrow House majority. Emmer is competing against Rep. Jim Banks, an ally of Donald Trump Jr., for the position of House GOP whip.
More context: Trump has been eager to lock up public support from Republicans for his third presidential bid, with a separate GOP source saying he has been asking to see which GOP lawmakers have endorsed him in the media.
So far, House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik has been the highest-ranking Republican to officially back Trump’s 2024 bid.
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Nevada Democratic Sen. Cortez Masto tells CNN that GOP challenger Laxalt has not conceded race to her
From CNN's Kaitlan Collins
US Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, right, talks to CNN's Kaitlan Collins on Monday.
(CNN)
Days after CNN projected Democratic Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto won reelection in Nevada and denied Republicans the chance to take the Senate, her Republican challenger Adam Laxalt has yet to concede the race, she tells CNN.
In her first national interview since she defeated Laxalt, Sen. Cortez Masto said she has not heard from him.
“I was proud to have not only the support of Democrats, but many Republicans who had the courage to come forward and support me, and nonpartisan. So, I was just honored to have just that diverse support from so many Nevadans across the state.”
CNN’s full interview with the senator airs Tuesday. Watch a clip from the interview below:
Biden says Democrats will "maintain our positions" on abortion but don't have votes to codify
From CNN's Betsy Klein
President Joe Biden offered a candid assessment on the fate of Roe v. Wade following the midterm elections, suggesting the 60 votes needed in the Senate to codify the landmark ruling are still not there despite the Democratic Party’s performance.
Biden again predicted that Democrats “are going to get very close in the House.”
Biden has taken a number of executive actions on abortion in the aftermath of the Dobbs ruling earlier this year as many state legislatures have worked to restrict women’s reproductive rights. It has been short of codifying Roe, which requires 60 votes in the Senate, there are limited steps he can take to enact further protections.
Biden on midterms: "American people proved once again that democracy is who we are"
From CNN's Allie Malloy
President Joe Biden speaks at a news conference Monday on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia.
(Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)
President Biden said the midterm elections proved “once again that democracy is who we are,” and the results were “an emphatic statement that in America, the will of the people prevails.”
Speaking of his time in Asia and meeting with world leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Biden said the election has sent “a very strong message around the world that the United States is ready to play” and “fully engaged in the world.”
“There was a strong rejection of political violence and voter intimidation, and there was an emphatic statement that in America, the will of the people prevails,” Biden said.
The president added, “What these elections showed, is there’s a deep and unwavering commitment in America to preserving and protecting and defending democracy.”
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Here's why the Georgia Senate runoff still matters to both parties
From CNN's Paul LeBlanc
US Sen. Raphael Warnock, left, and Republican challenger Herschel Walker
(AP/Getty Images)
Democrats have clinched 50 seats in the Senate, but the stakes remain high for Georgia’s Dec. 6 runoff between Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock and Republican challenger Herschel Walker.
Neither candidate surpassed the 50% threshold needed to win the race outright in the November general election, forcing a runoff.
Here’s what that means and what a win or a loss would mean for Democrats and the GOP:
What is a runoff and how does it work? A runoff is an additional election used to determine the winner of a certain race when neither candidate earns the required threshold for victory – in this case, 50%.
In Georgia, runoffs are more straightforward than general elections in that the candidate with the most votes wins.
How will the voting work? Georgia’s top elections official, Brad Raffensperger, said counties are already preparing for the Dec. 6 election, and voters can request absentee ballots starting Wednesday through Nov. 28 via the state’s online portal.
Early voting must begin by Nov. 28 in all counties, but Raffensperger said his office anticipates some counties could have early voting on Saturday, Nov. 26 or Sunday, Nov. 27. “We are working with the counties to find out what their plans are on this front,” he said.
What is at stake for each party? Put simply, a lot.
With Democrats projected to hold 50 Senate seats, voters in Georgia will determine whether the chamber remains split 50-50 – and runs based on a power-sharing agreement that depends on Vice President Kamala Harris breaking tie votes – or whether Democrats gain the 51 seats needed for a true majority.
Top officials from the Democratic and Republican parties told CNN they intend to double down on their significant investments in Georgia, with an increasing assumption that meaningful control of the Senate could hinge on the outcome of the runoff.
CNN’s Gregory Krieg and Ella Nilsen contributed to this report.
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Schumer expects greater cooperation from GOP after the midterms: "It's different this time because they lost"
From CNN's Aditi Sangal
Sen. Chuck Schumer speaks during a press conference in New York on Sunday.
(Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/AP)
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told CNN there are three factors that led to Democrats’ win in the Senate — great quality of candidates, the party’s record of accomplishments, and voters recognizing that democracy was at stake in these midterm elections.
Schumer said on “CNN This Morning” Monday that Democrats received votes from Republican voters who said, “I’m a Reagan Republican, I’m a Bush Republican, I’m not [Trump’s MAGA] Republican. That made a huge difference as well.”
Moving forward, as Schumer returns to the lame duck session in Congress with a long legislative to-do list before the new class of Congress begins in January, he says he will try to sit down with Republicans to “get something done.”
“I will say to my party: We’re not going to get everything we want, like on the guns bill we didn’t get everything we want. But let’s try to sit down with the Republicans and get something done. And just as importantly, I’m going to say to the Republicans in the Senate, who are not the MAGA Republicans: stop letting them lead your party. Work with us to get things done,” he said.
“I intend to sit down with [Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell,] and say ‘we should be working together. You’re not going to get the extremists in your party to work with anybody, but the rest of us can work together and get some real things done for the American people,’” he added.
The cooperation from Republicans would be different this time because they lost, he added.
Schumer wouldn’t weigh in on whether he believed the 2022 election results that favored Democrats in the Senate should mean President Joe Biden should run for reelection in 2024.
“Look, he’ll make that decision himself,” Schumer said. “If he wants to run, I will support him.”
CNN’s Daniella Diaz contributed reporting to this post.
Blame an evenly divided electorate: If elections weren’t so close, it wouldn’t take so long to figure out who won. CNN has still not projected who will control the House in large part because of close races on the West Coast.
West coast nail-biters: Here’s a look at the 19 House races for which there is no projection. You’ll notice the western bias:
California – 10
Arizona – 2
Colorado – 2
New Mexico – 1
Oregon – 1
Two additional outstanding House races are in Alaska and Maine, where determining the winner in a ranked-choice voting system takes longer. Plus, there’sone remainingHouse race inNew York.
Verifying signatures: Most states have some sort of signature verification system for their absentee and mail-in ballots, according to a tally from the National Conference of State Legislatures. And then, in places like Maricopa County, Arizona, mail-in ballots that are dropped off right before and on Tuesday don’t even start the important process of signature verification until the Wednesday after Election Day.
It’s a process that’s been in place in Maricopa County since the 1990s, which is also overseen by both Republican and Democratic Party officials.
The voters have spoken. This is just the counting: Meantime, look for periodic evening dumps of additional votes that could change the momentum of these extremely tight races.
If the races were not so close, there might not be enough of these mail-in ballots to make a difference in the final tally. News organizations won’t project a winner unless there is a certainty of victory.
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Democrat who flipped key GOP seat: Our party needs to "reevaluate" how it operates with working-class voters
From CNN's Jeremy Hochman
Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is seen in Vancouver, Washington, in September.
(Rachel La Corte/AP)
Washington Democratic congresswoman-elect Marie Gluesenkamp Pérez, who flipped a key Republican seat in a major political upset, told CNN This Morning that it is time for Democrats to reevaluate their approach to working-class voters.
“It’s time for Democrats to really reevaluate how they are operating in these spaces.”
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Analysis: Takeaways from a grim weekend for the GOP in an election that won’t end
Analysis from CNN's Stephen Collinson
Election workers process ballots at Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center in Phoenix, Arizona, on Sunday.
(Antranik Tavitian/The Republic/USA Today)
With Democrats projected to keep the Senate for two more years, the weekend marked a moment of vindication for President Joe Biden, whose party defied history by staving off a midterm election drubbing, and a moment of truth for some Republicans who had tethered themselves to Trump’s election fraud lies.
Here are some takeaways from an election that still has many uncalled races.
Reverberations inside Senate GOP: Republicans’ failure to pick up Nevada and Senate control is already having reverberations inside the Senate GOP, with calls from Florida Sen. Rick Scott, the chair of Senate Republicans campaign arm, and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham to delay Wednesday’s leadership elections until after the Georgia runoff. Scott said he’d been approached by “a lot of people” about standing against Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, with whom he’d had significant messaging disagreements during the midterms. Still, it likely won’t be lost on many lawmakers that the party fell short on Scott’s watch.
A personal and political benefit for Biden: The failure of Republicans to capture control means that the White House will be spared a relentless onslaught of Senate investigations and subpoenas to match those likely to be pouring out of the House if, as expected, the GOP finally clinches a majority in that chamber. This represents a significant personal and political benefit for Biden.
Georgia still matters for Democrats: The final numbers in the Senate will not be known until the runoff in Georgia on Dec. 6, but if Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock keeps his seat, Democrats will have a 51-49 majority. A two-seat margin would mean:
Democrats won’t have to rely on the tie-breaking vote wielded by Vice President Kamala Harris.
Sen. Joe Manchin might not enjoy the veto he has held the past two years.
Majority Leader Chuck Schumer would not need a deal with McConnell on parceling out committee assignments and would have far more control over the process.
The Republicans still haven’t taken the House: While it’s still most likely that the Republicans will control the House, they will have a narrow majority. Hard-liners in the House Freedom Caucus are demanding large concessions in return for supporting Kevin McCarthy for the top job — House Speaker – which could render his leadership toothless. CNN reported Sunday that Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs is considering a challenge to McCarthy in the House leadership elections on Tuesday – a move that could ultimately weaken the current minority leader and expose anger over the GOP’s performance, even if his team insists he will have the votes to be speaker.
Republicans blame Trump for losses: Trump is being blamed by a broad group of Republican leaders and political analysts for saddling his party’s extreme, untested candidates with a failed message – an obsession with his 2020 election fraud falsehoods. Voters might have been unhappy with the Democrats and Biden’s record on inflation. But they balked at handing power to Republican radicals in Trump’s election-denying and chaos-causing image.
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Congress returns to DC with a long to-do list. Here's what's on it.
From CNN's Daniella Diaz, Ted Barrett and Clare Foran,
The Capitol is seen early Monday, November 14.
(J. Scott Applewhite/AP)
As they return from weeks of campaigning for the midterm elections, lawmakers face a jam-packed legislative to-do list, with Democratic leaders eager to bring several bills to the floor during the lame duck session – the period after the midterms and before the new Congress begins.
Here’s what the busy agenda includes:
Funding the government: Congress passed a short-term funding bill in September that is set to expire Dec. 16, making funding the government the number one priority for Congress when they return from recess.
Because the legislation must be passed, it could attract additional measures that Democrats want to clear during the lame duck session. For example, additional financial support for Ukraine. Democrats also want more funding for the Covid-19 pandemic, but Republicans are not likely to support that request. Democrats may also seek more money for the Department of Justice investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.
Defense bill: Congress also has to pass the defense bill. Consideration of the wide-ranging bill could spark debate and a push for amendments over a variety of topics, including whether to punish Saudi Arabia for its recent decision to cut oil production.
Confirming Biden-nominated judges to federal bench: Senate Democrats will also continue confirming judges to the federal bench nominated by President Joe Biden, a key priority for the party.
Same-sex marriage vote in the Senate: In mid-September, the chamber punted on a vote until after the November midterm elections as negotiators asked for more time to lock down support – a move that could make it more likely the bill will ultimately pass the chamber. Schumer has vowed to hold a vote on the bill, but the exact timing has not yet been locked in. Democrats have pushed for the vote after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, sparking fears that the court could take aim at same-sex or inter-racial marriage in the future.
Electoral Count Act: Votes are likely on bipartisan legislation that would make it harder to overturn a certified presidential election, a response to former President Donald Trump’s efforts to block the 2020 election results, which led to the siege of the Capitol. It is supported by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican. If the bill passes the Senate, it would also need to clear the House, which in September, passed its own version of the legislation.
Debt limit: It’s not yet clear when exactly the nation will run up against the debt limit and it appears unlikely for now that Congress will act to raise it during the lame-duck session, especially as other must-pass bills compete for floor time. Congress does not need to raise the nation’s borrowing limit until sometime next year, but there’s been some internal debate over whether Democrats should try to raise before the end of this year, especially if Republicans wind up in control of the House.
CNN’s Melanie Zanona contributed to this report.
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Analysis: Democrats may have bucked the national trend, but Republicans still hold a large sway in GOP-led states
Analysis from CNN's Ronald Brownstein
In Democratic-leaning and swing states, voters last week delivered an unmistakable cry of resistance to the restrictive Republican social agenda symbolized by the drive to ban abortion. But in red states where Republicans have actually imposed that agenda over the past two years, GOP governors cruised to reelection without any discernible backlash.
That sharp contrast underscored the depth of the divide between red and blue America and points toward the further partitioning of the nation into divergent, and increasingly hostile, blocs living under fundamentally different rules for civil rights and liberties. Last week’s results could simultaneously embolden red state Republicans to continue advancing the militantly conservative social agenda they have pursued since 2021 on abortion and other issues like voting and book bans – while also making clear that such an agenda is electorally untenable outside of those core GOP states.
On a national basis, Democrats defied the history of big first-term midterm losses for the president’s party – and pervasive media predictions of a towering red wave – by largely reassembling the winning coalition of voters who turned out in massive numbers in 2018 and 2020 to oppose former President Donald Trump’s vision for America. That coalition centered on young voters, people of color and college-educated, urban and less religious adults, with women in each group leaning more Democratic than the men.
In the national exit poll results, Democrats, stunningly, even won a narrow plurality of independent voters, who have almost always voted in big numbers against the party holding the White House at such moments of national discontent. Democrats carried independents by even larger margins in the key blue and purple state governor races, including Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Arizona, the exit polls found.
Those stunning results, even amid such discontent over the economy and the president’s performance, underscored how many voters view the agenda of the Trump-era GOP as a threat to their rights, their values and to democracy itself. That’s precisely the agenda the red states are implementing.
GOP to decide political fate of its leaders, who are under fire following disappointing election results
From CNN's Melanie Zanona and Manu Raju
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy speaks at an election event on November 9, in Washington, D.C.
(Alex Brandon/AP)
House and Senate Republicans are gearing up for a tense series of closed-door meetings this week as the GOP grapples with what went wrong in the midterms and decides the political fate of its current leaders, who are under fire following last week’s disappointing election results.
With the balance of the House yet to be determined, but a razor-thin majority looking likely, House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy is staring down a serious revolt from his right flank that could derail his speakership ambitions. Dozens of hardliners are threatening to withhold their support for McCarthy unless he gives in to their demands.
And in the Senate, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has been calling his colleagues over the last several days to shore up his support as his team plans to plow forward with leadership elections on Wednesday despite grumbling by a faction of dissenters who are trying to slam the brakes after their midterm debacle. They are planning to have a GOP air-clearing session on Tuesday.
McCarthy has also spent the past five days working the phones to solidify support for his speakership bid, and he has spoken to former President Donald Trump multiple times since last Tuesday, according to GOP sources. The former president endorsed McCarthy for speaker the day before the midterm elections – something his allies hope sway his conference’s staunchest Trump supporters.
But Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona, a former chair of the pro-Trump House Freedom Caucus, is considering mounting a long-shot challenge to McCarthy during the House GOP’s internal leadership elections on Tuesday, according to GOP sources familiar with the matter. McCarthy’s team has been prepared for this possibility.
While McCarthy is not worried about any challengers and only needs a simple majority during that vote to become the GOP’s speaker nominee – the real test would come in January when he would need 218 votes on the floor – the likely challenge from Biggs could expose how McCarthy is currently short of 218 votes and open up uncomfortable conversations about why an oft-promised “red wave” never materialized.
Sen. Warnock appeals to Georgia voters: "Tell everybody in your circle it's time to show up"
From CNN's Rashard Rose
Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate Sen. Raphael Warnock speaks during a news conference, on November 10, in Atlanta, Georgia.
(Brynn Anderson/AP)
Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock appealed to Georgians Sunday afternoon to vote in the upcoming runoff election, making an appearance during rapper Lil Baby’s Fall Festival and Charity Drive in Atlanta.
Following his brief remarks on stage, Warnock spoke to media during a gaggle.
“Well, congratulations to my colleagues, but our message is the same,” Warnock said. “This election is about who’s ready, and who’s fit to serve the people of Georgia in the United States Senate. It’s a race about competence and about character. And on both of those scores, there is a world of difference between me and Herschel Walker.”
Remember: Neither Warnock nor his Republican challenger Walker surpassed the 50% threshold needed to win the race outright Tuesday evening, CNN projected, forcing a runoff election in December.
The Georgia runoff election is still really important to Democrats:
Although Democrats are already projected to win control of the Senate, CNN chief political Gloria Borger said the upcoming Dec. 6 Georgia runoff is still really important to the party.
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Trump adviser: Former president will announce his 2024 campaign at Tuesday event
From CNN's Kristen Holmes
Former President Donald Trump's communications aide Jason Miller speaks to reporters at Mar-a-lago on Election Day, November 8, in Palm Beach, Florida.
(Andrew Harnik/AP)
Trump adviser Jason Miller said in a podcast appearance that the former president will announce his 2024 presidential campaign at an event Tuesday.
Speaking on Steve Bannon’s podcast Friday, Miller added that the announcement would be “very professional, very buttoned up,” and that Trump’s team ran through the logistics on Friday of last week.
Some advisers continue to try and persuade the former president to hold off on any sort of announcement, but most acknowledge their pleas aren’t likely to have an impact on Trump’s decision.
Amid backlash over lackluster midterm results and poor performances by many Trump-endorsed candidates, Trump has recently reminded those around him that Republicans and some conservative media turned their backs on him in 2016 and he still won.
However, many are concerned he doesn’t have the same magnetism that swept him into the White House six years ago, particularly as he continues to focus on promoting conspiracies around elections, a strategy that largely fizzled last Tuesday.
It remains unclear who will be in attendance at Tuesday’s event. Some of Trump’s biggest supporters like Reps. Elise Stefanik, Matt Gaetz and Jim Banks will be wrapped up in their own House leadership elections in Washington that day.
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Election deniers lost secretary of state races in these key battleground states
From CNN's Fredreka Schouten
Cisco Aguilar running to be Nevada's Secretary of State joins a rally to support Democratic Senator Catherine Cortez Masto on election day for the midterm elections in Las Vegas, Nevada, on November 8.
(David Swanson/Reuters)
The latest midterm results show that voters in crucial battleground states rejected secretary of state candidates who have denied the 2020 election results and had pledged to overhaul voting procedures in their states ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
Here are the results from several of those races:
In Nevada, Las Vegas Democratic attorney Cisco Aguilar defeated former state lawmaker Jim Marchant to become the first Latino election chief in the Silver State, according to CNN’s projection Saturday night. Marchant, the Republican nominee, had called for doing away with vote-tallying machines and organized a coalition of like-minded “America First” candidates. Their goals included ending most mail-in voting, expanding voter identification laws and promoting the “aggressive” cleanup of voter rolls.
In Arizona, CNN projected that Democrat Adrian Fontes, the former top election official in Maricopa County, defeated the Republican nominee, state Rep. Mark Finchem, who lobbied to toss out the results of the 2020 election in some of state’s largest counties and co-sponsored legislation that would have allowed lawmakers to set aside election outcomes.
In Michigan, the Democratic incumbent Jocelyn Benson — a leading national voice defending the legitimacy of the 2020 election — defeated Kristina Karamo, CNN projected. Karamo, a member of Marchant’s “America First” slate of candidates, has falsely claimed that former President Donald Trump won two years ago and signed on to an unsuccessful Supreme Court lawsuit that challenged President Joe Biden’s victory.
In Minnesota, Democratic Secretary of State Steve Simon won a third term, CNN projected — defeating Republican lawyer Kim Crockett. Crockett has cast the 2020 election as “illegitimate” because of pandemic-related changes to voting procedures that year.
Republican candidate for Indiana Secretary of State Diego Morales speaks during an interview in Indianapolis, September 20.
(Michael Conroy/AP)
One secretary of state candidate in the America First coalition did succeed. CNN projected that Republican Diego Morales won the race for secretary of state in Indiana. During the GOP primary, he disputed the legitimacy of the 2020 election.
The full breakdown from CNN’s Daniel Dale on how election deniers fared can be found here.
