U.S. Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH) speaks at a House Republicans press conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., June 12, 2024. REUTERS/Craig Hudson
On Tuesday, with Republicans expected to lose their majority in the House, Fox News revealed that the GOP is poised to erupt with infighting over who will assume the role of minority leader. What’s more, Fox News chief congressional correspondent Chad Pergram says that it’s “unclear” whether defeat in the midterms will push Republican lawmakers to break with President Donald Trump.
According to Pergram, “It's unclear if some Republicans would bolt from President Trump if they lose.” Here Pergram’s segment ran a clip of Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), who declared, “We're a party that listens to our leaders – he's the head of the party.” Despite Issa’s assertion, many retiring Republicans have been openly criticizing Trump for months, while campaigning Republicans have repeatedly broken with the president over unpopular issues like the war with Iran, tariffs, and rising fuel costs. Only days ago, a firmly MAGA-oriented candidate released an ad decrying the “unnecessary construction” of Trump’s border wall – one of his central policies for over a decade. These defections suggest just how bad the midterm situation is for the GOP, which polls show will almost certainly lose the House and perhaps even the Senate.
“If the GOP loses the House speaker,” said Pergram, “[current Speaker] Mike Johnson (R-LA), Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), and [Rep.] Jim Jordan (R-OH) could all jockey for minority leader.” What’s more, because of the way minority leaders are selected, that fight could expose fault lines that have been growing within the party. As Issa explains, a House speaker requires almost total unanimity to secure and remain in the position, whereas leader only requires the support of the majority of the minority, meaning Republicans vying for the role will have their knives out to achieve that majority. According to Pergram, while “Jordan and Scalise both stumbled in their bids to become speaker three years ago,” they’re likely to try for leadership again. Depending on how the midterms turn out, said Pergram, “that race could begin as early as tomorrow.”
Fox News projects that Democrats will win the House handily, and that the Senate is a toss-up. As Pergram explained, “Democrats don't need a lot to flip the House.” If they manage to pick up 23 seats, it will hand them a major tool for blocking Trump’s agenda. Experts say there are roughly 50 seats up for grabs, and polls show that Democrats enjoy a significant advantage on a generic ballot. According to Pergram, “Fox's Power Rankings have Democrats winning as many as 240 seats.” On Monday, a prominent Republican election forecaster at the Washington Post, Henry Olsen, said the number could be even higher, giving the Democrats as many as 250 seats. He also predicts Republican “doom” in the Senate, concluding that Election Day “will be terrible — possibly horrific — for the GOP.”
