Congress
Emmer’s whip pitch
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer launched his run for the minority whip job Wednesday in a letter to fellow Republican lawmakers, telling them, “There is no sugarcoating the failure we just experienced.”
“We lost, and I take that loss personally, both as a competitor and a member of this team,” the Minnesotan wrote about Tuesday’s results, adding, “We are down, but we are not out.”
Emmer, the No. 3 GOP leader since 2022, would rise to the No. 2 position if successful. He is expected to face Rep. August Pfluger, chair of the influential Republican Policy Committee.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune spoke Wednesday with President Donald Trump after the party’s sweeping losses Tuesday, according to a person granted anonymity to disclose the private discussion.
The conversation comes amid speculation in and out of the Capitol about whether Trump would publicly stand by Thune if the GOP lost its Senate majority. But so far Trump has stayed silent on Thune while telling reporters Wednesday he would stay out of the brewing House GOP leadership race.
Thune has long said he intends to run for another term as leader, and GOP senators believe he’ll keep the job. A spokesperson reiterated Wednesday he will run for leader in Tuesday’s closed-door election.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is running for speaker, he announced in a letter to colleagues Wednesday.
Democrats have long considered the New Yorker — who has served two terms as minority leader — the heir apparent to longtime leader Nancy Pelosi. If he wins the Jan. 3 floor vote, he would become the House’s first Black speaker.
“Against all odds, House Democrats were consistently successful in the minority,” Jeffries wrote in the letter. “We must now deliver the dramatic change the American people are demanding in the majority.”
Jeffries is well-positioned to lead House Democrats next term. Although an incoming crop of hard-left members has not committed to backing him for speaker, no alternative candidate has emerged, and the size of the Democratic majority appears likely to make a small group of holdouts irrelevant.
In his role leading the caucus, Jeffries has built a reputation as a measured, deliberative leader with strong allies in the Congressional Black Caucus and centrist New Democrat Coalition. His left flank has signaled that they will push him on key priorities like Medicare for All and Israel aid.
In the letter, Jeffries touted his efforts to oppose President Donald Trump’s policies and personnel and working to overcome the “Republican gerrymandering scheme” by helping to organize counterefforts in California and elsewhere.
Jeffries emphasized on the campaign trail that he wants to tackle cost-lowering policies that could win broad support in the caucus. In particular, he previewed early votes on ending the Trump administration’s tariffs, clawing back Republican-led Medicaid cuts and restoring expired Affordable Care Act tax credits.
He also vowed an aggressive oversight agenda that includes probes into Trump, his family, his administration and his corporate allies.
Chris Marquette contributed to this report.
-
Politics1 year agoJohn Legend advises Trump to drop the ‘dictator s‑‑‑’ if he wants Nobel Peace Prize
-
Politics2 years agoFormer ‘Squad’ members launching ‘Bowman and Bush’ YouTube show
-
Uncategorized2 years ago
Bob Good to step down as Freedom Caucus chair this week
-
The Josh Fourrier Show2 years agoDOOMSDAY: Trump won, now what?
-
The Dictatorship2 years agoPete Hegseth’s tenure at the Pentagon goes from bad to worse
-
Politics2 years agoFormer Kentucky AG Daniel Cameron launches Senate bid
-
The Dictatorship2 years agoLuigi Mangione acknowledges public support in first official statement since arrest
-
Politics2 years agoBlue Light News’s Editorial Director Ryan Hutchins speaks at Blue Light News’s 2025 Governors Summit