Republicans on Capitol Hill are set to press ahead with leadership elections this week, votes that will determine the political futures of both Kevin McCarthy and Mitch McConnell and lay bare the party’s infighting after a disappointing performance in last week’s midterm elections.
While midterm votes are still being counted in several states, Republicans appear on course to eke out a narrow majority in the House of Representatives, reclaiming the lower chamber of Congress and ushering in a new era of divided government in Washington.
But any Republican majority would fall short of the expected “red wave” that would have strengthened the party’s legislative hand and made it a thorn in the side of Joe Biden’s White House.