It’s Election Day. This is the second Election Day since we started Punchbowl News. Thank you for all your support.
We’re going to start right in our wheelhouse — what the most powerful House and Senate leaders, as well as leadership aspirants, are up to on Election Day.
Speaker Mike Johnson will be spending election night in Shreveport, La., the heart of his district. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise will be in Metairie, La., where he is every election night. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer will be at former President Donald Trump’s watch party in Palm Beach, Fla. House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik will join Johnson in Louisiana to track election results from there.
We hear that several of these House Republican leaders have made tentative plans to fly to Palm Beach tonight if it seems like Trump will win or declare victory.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries will be in New York and House Minority Whip Katherine Clark will be in D.C. House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar will be in California, which has a whole bunch of competitive House races coming down to the wire. DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene will be in D.C., as well.
Senate Minority Whip John Thune, who is vying to be the next Republican leader, will be in South Dakota. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer will be in D.C.
You’ll notice that neither Democratic nor Republican leaders have any big election night parties scheduled. House Republicans had a huge event in D.C. in 2022 to celebrate their red wave that never arrived.
Vice President Kamala Harris will be at Howard University. Harris’ big donors have an event at the Conrad Hotel near City Center. Trump will be at Mar-a-Lago with some of his close advisers and big donors. Trump’s big event will be at the Palm Beach County Convention Center.
How they closed. After multiple stops in Pennsylvania, Harris held a big concert and rally in Pittsburgh that included appearances by Katy Perry and other celebrities. More than 15,000 people attended the event. Harris ended the night in Philadelphia, where Lady Gaga sang “God Bless America.” Oprah Winfrey introduced Harris to the crowd.
“You will decide the outcome of this election, Pennsylvania,” Harris said. And she’s very likely right.
Trump spent his rally in Pittsburgh talking about his previous term. But Trump then veered into a rant filled with grievances about the 2020 election and his misgivings about Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) becoming a senator.
What’s next? By the end of this evening, leadership aspirants will begin to make their plays in earnest. They can no longer hide behind the “We-are-focused-on-the-election” excuse. It’s leadership election time.
House Democrats: Barring some unforeseen setback, Jeffries, Clark and Aguilar are safe. The marquee contest will be for the caucus vice chair. This faceoff features Reps. Sara Jacobs (Calif.) and Robin Kelly (Ill.). There could be additional candidates. Jeffries will also appoint a new chair of the DCCC.
Jeffries hasn’t yet scheduled leadership elections. Top Democrats are concerned that Republicans will falsely challenge or attempt to drag out the results from House races.
House Republicans: If Republicans keep the majority, expect Johnson, Scalise and Emmer to stay in their slots without a problem. If House Republicans have a really big night, expect NRCC Chair Richard Hudson to make a play for the Energy and Commerce Committee chairmanship. He’d need a really big night.
If Republicans lose, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) is poised to run for minority leader. The question to focus on is whether Johnson will try to remain in the slot. And Scalise would likely run if Johnson doesn’t.
And of course, the race for the next Senate Republican leader will be in full swing immediately, with Thune squaring off against Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and longshot candidate Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.). That’s a secret ballot contest that’s been marinating for months.
All around the country! This was Punchbowl News’ first presidential election cycle. Early on, we decided to focus intensely on the leadership’s machinations on the trail and big states. There were also several races where our reporting could provide real insight into the balance of power in Washington.
We traveled with Johnson, Scalise, Emmer, Jeffries, Thune, Senate GOP Conference Chair John Barrasso and Jordan.
An ode to Johnny Cash. Our reporters spent time in a dozen states this cycle. Here’s a list of the cities we’ve reported from:
Pennsylvania: Lancaster, Bethlehem, Scranton, Philadelphia, Bucks County, Allentown, Harrisburg, Mechanicsburg, Middletown and Milford. New York: New York City, New Hyde Park, New Rochelle, Bethpage, Freeport, Port Washington, Tarrytown, Haverstraw, New City and Binghamton. Ohio: Canton, Columbus, Steubenville and Warren. Texas: McAllen, Edinburg, Pharr and Mission. Arizona: Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tucson.
California: Westminster, Irvine, Buena Park and Santa Clarita. Michigan: Freeland, Detroit, Lansing, Mt. Morris, St. Clair Shores, Auburn Hills, Sterling Heights and Mt. Pleasant. Nevada: Las Vegas and Henderson. Indiana: Fort Wayne. Minnesota: Minneapolis. Wisconsin: Milwaukee. Virginia: Stafford.
