Midterms: What happened?
With the Republican Party finally projected to win a slim majority in the US House of Representatives, current speaker Nancy Pelosi is set to make announcement today on her political future, potentially setting up a race for the leadership of her party.
Current House minority leader Kevin McCarthy has already cleared the first hurdle toward being elected House Speaker by winning the nomination from members of his party – but with more than 30 of his members declining to back him.
The result will force him to negotiate with some of his party’s most extreme right-wing representatives, as the House speaker is finally confirmed by a simple majority of those voting. This means that Mr McCarthy can only afford to lose a handful of Republican votes if he is to lead the chamber.
Meanwhile, Democrats have retained control of the Senate, securing 50 seats already with hopes of retaining another in a runoff in Georgia next month. Many Senate Republicans have criticised their leader, Mitch McConnell, since the election, but the Kentucky Republican was re-elected to his minority leadership role on Wednesday.
