A group of five Senate Republicans led by Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin has formally requested that the party's internal leadership elections be postponed, with Lee saying Republicans should pause after last week's losses to develop a plan before choosing who will lead them in the minority when Democrats take control of Congress in January.
The letter, sent to GOP leadership on Monday, was signed by Johnson and Senators Mike Lee of Utah, Rick Scott of Florida, Ted Budd of North Carolina and John Kennedy of Louisiana. It requests that leadership elections be postponed until Republicans hold a postmortem of the election results.
'Senate Republicans should not rush into leadership elections while two races (and along with them, the composition of our conference) remain unresolved,' Lee told the Deseret News in a statement. 'After last week's stunning losses, we need to pause long enough to develop a plan to move forward. Such a plan should develop with input from all Senate Republicans before we hold leadership elections, not after.'
Senator Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania, who did not sign the letter but also called for a delay, said in a social media post that Republicans had 'the worst election results in decades' and needed a discussion about what went wrong, how to fix it and what the party stands for. McCormick said he had informed Senate Majority Leader John Thune of his concerns and that Tuesday was 'too soon' to push ahead with elections.
Democrats will hold at least 54 seats in the 100-member Senate and at least 254 seats in the 435-voting-member House when the 120th Congress is sworn in January, according to Al Jazeera.
Thune, who succeeded longtime Republican leader Mitch McConnell in 2025, is seeking to retain his post as the party's leader in the chamber, which would make him minority leader when Democrats take control. He has so far faced no public challenger for the position, and sources familiar with the matter told the Deseret News he still intends to run.
In the House, the most prominent contest is for minority leader, with Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio competing for the position. Scalise has served in senior Republican leadership roles for more than a decade and presents himself as an experienced unifier. Jordan, a founding member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus and a close Trump ally, is campaigning on a more confrontational approach to the Democratic majority.
Current House Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota is seeking the minority whip position against Representative August Pfluger of Texas, who chairs the Republican Study Committee and has called for 'fresh ideas' and a clearer strategy to win back the House in 2028.
House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana announced he will not seek the minority leader position, clearing the way for Scalise and Jordan to compete for the top Republican post. President Donald Trump has appeared to blame the Senate for the midterm losses but has not explicitly said whether Thune should be replaced as party leader.
Senate leadership elections are tentatively scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- These leadership races will determine how Republicans organise as the minority party for the next two years, shaping their legislative strategy and ability to check Democratic control of Congress.
- The push to delay elections reflects deep internal divisions over the party's direction after a sweeping electoral defeat, with potential long-term implications for Republican unity and agenda.
- The outcome of the House minority leader contest between Scalise and Jordan will signal whether the party intends to pursue a more confrontational or cooperative strategy with the Democratic majority.
Background
Democrats swept control of both the House and Senate in the November midterm elections, breaking Republican control of Washington. The losses have sparked debate within the Republican party about what went wrong, with some lawmakers pointing to the war in Iran and rising gas prices, while others blame Senate delays on key party agenda items. The new Congress is set to be sworn in January, with Democrats holding majorities of at least 54 seats in the Senate and at least 254 in the House.
Key Perspectives
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) and four colleagues: Argue leadership elections should be postponed until Republicans have a postmortem of the midterm results and a plan for moving forward with input from all members.
Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA): Says Tuesday is 'too soon' for elections after 'the worst election results in decades' and that the party needs to discuss what went wrong and how its agenda should focus on the concerns of the American people.
President Donald Trump: Has blamed the Senate for the losses but has not explicitly said whether Thune should be replaced.
Sen. John Thune (R-SD): Is seeking to retain his leadership position and move into the minority leader role, and still intends to run.
What to Watch
- Tuesday's internal leadership elections: whether the delay effort succeeds or the votes go ahead as scheduled.
- The outcome of the House minority leader race between Scalise and Jordan, which will shape the party's approach to the Democratic majority.
- Whether Trump continues to pressure Senate Republicans and whether his stance affects the leadership outcome.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 2 sources: 12 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedLee’s first quoted sentence says Senate Republicans should not rush into leadership elections while two races and the conference’s composition remain unresolved.Deseret News Politics: ““Senate Republicans should not rush into leadership elections while two races (and along with them, the composition of our conference) remain unresolved,” Lee told the Deseret News in a statement.”
- SupportedLee’s quoted remarks say Republicans should pause to develop a plan with input from all Senate Republicans before leadership elections.Deseret News Politics: ““After last week’s stunning losses, we need to pause long enough to develop a plan to move forward. Such a plan should develop with input from all Senate Republicans before we hold leadership elections — not after.“”
- SupportedMcCormick said Republicans had “the worst election results in decades.”Deseret News Politics: ““A week ago, we had the worst election results in decades,” Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., who did not sign on to the letter but also called for a delay, said in a post on social media.”
- SupportedMcCormick said Tuesday was “too soon” to hold the elections.Deseret News Politics: “McCormick said he informed Thune of his concerns and that Tuesday was “too soon” to push ahead with elections.”
- SupportedFive Senate Republicans led by Ron Johnson are seeking to delay leadership elections after the midterm losses.Deseret News Politics: “Five Republicans signed on to the letter led by Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, including Lee and Sens. Rick Scott of Florida, Ted Budd of North Carolina, and John Kennedy of Louisiana.”
- SupportedThe letter was sent to GOP leadership on Monday and was signed by Johnson, Mike Lee, Rick Scott, Ted Budd and John Kennedy.Deseret News Politics: “A group of Senate Republicans sent a letter to GOP leadership on Monday officially requesting that leadership elections be postponed until they hold a postmortem of last week’s elections. Five Republicans signed on to the letter led by Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, including Lee and Sens. Rick Scott of Florida, Ted Budd of North Carolina, and John Kennedy of Louisiana.”
- SupportedThe letter requests postponing leadership elections until Republicans hold a postmortem of the election results.Deseret News Politics: “A group of Senate Republicans sent a letter to GOP leadership on Monday officially requesting that leadership elections be postponed until they hold a postmortem of last week’s elections”
- SupportedDemocrats will have at least 54 Senate seats and at least 254 of the House’s 435 voting seats when the 120th Congress begins in January.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Democrats will have majorities of at least 54 seats in the 100-member Senate and at least 254 in the House, which has a total of 435 voting members.”
- SupportedThune is seeking to retain his Senate party leadership post, has no public challenger so far, and still intends to run, according to sources familiar with the matter.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Senate majority leader John Thune of South Dakota is seeking to retain his position as his party’s leader in the chamber. That would make him the minority leader when Democrats take control of the chamber in January. Thune, who succeeded longtime Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell in 2025, has so far faced no public challenger for the seat.”
- SupportedScalise and Jordan are competing for House minority leader.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “The biggest contest in the House is for minority leader, with longtime rivals Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Jim Jordan of Ohio competing for the position.”
- SupportedEmmer and Pfluger are competing for the House minority whip position; Pfluger has called for “fresh ideas” and a clearer strategy to win back the House in 2028.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “The contest for minority whip, the party’s second-ranking position, is between current majority whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota and August Pfluger of Texas. Emmer is seeking to retain the position.”
- SupportedHouse Speaker Mike Johnson announced he will not seek the House minority leader position, clearing the way for Scalise and Jordan to compete for the top Republican post.Al Jazeera – Breaking News, World News and Video from Al Jazeera: “Johnson announced he will not seek the House minority leader position, clearing the way for Scalise and Jordan to compete for the top Republican post.”