Republicans will win control of House as Democrats keep Senate

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will address her future plans on Thursday, a top aide said Wednesday, hours after it became clear that Republicans will hold the majority in the lower chamber.

“The Speaker plans to address her future plans tomorrow to her colleagues. Stay tuned,” said deputy chief of staff and spokesperson Drew Hamill on Twitter, also adding that Pelosi has “been overwhelmed by calls from colleagues, friends and supporters.”

CNN projected earlier this evening that Republicans will win the House after reaching the 218 seats necessary to claim a majority.

Separately, Pelosi issued a statement Wednesday saying that House Democrats “defied expectations” in the midterms but didn’t mention her future plans.

Read Pelosi’s full statement:

“This year, House Democrats defied expectations with an excellent performance: running their races with courage, optimism and determination. In the next Congress, House Democrats will continue to play a leading role in supporting President Biden’s agenda — with strong leverage over a scant Republican majority.
“House Democrats are thrilled to have so many terrific new and returning Members to the House, who will reinvigorate our Caucus with their energy, diversity and patriotism. We salute our departing Members for their magnificent leadership, achieving landmark progress on health care, climate action, infrastructure, gun violence, veterans and more that can never be diminished.
“At least three critical states are still counting ballots. We are endlessly grateful to those who continue their patriotic work to ensure each vote is counted as cast.”

Former Vice President Mike Pence answered questions at a CNN town hall Wednesday — including some about his own 2024 plans and his thoughts on the direction of the Republican Party after a disappointing showing in last week’s midterm elections.

The event took place a day after former President Donald Trump announced his third bid for president and just hours after CNN projected Republicans will win the House. The event also follows the release of Pence’s memoir, “So Help Me God,” on Tuesday.

The former vice president took questions from CNN’s Jake Tapper and a live studio audience. Here are some of the key lines:

On Trump’s candidacy: Pence said Republicans will “have better choices” in the 2024 presidential race than Trump, but said he believes Americans want to get back to the policies of their administration. He did not say whether he would or wouldn’t support Trump’s candidacy.

On his own possible presidential bid: “I’ll keep you posted,” Pence told Tapper when asked if his future plans involve a run for president in 2024. “I think it’s time for new leadership in this country that will bring us together around our highest ideals,” he said.

On the Jan. 6 insurrection: Pence called it “the most difficult day of my public life.” The former vice president said that on the day of the insurrection, he was determined to keep his oath – and going against Trump’s wishes that day after working closely with him “was difficult.” After being shown footage of rioters at the Capitol chanting “hang Mike Pence” during tonight’s town hall, he said it saddened him to see those images, adding, “that day it angered me.”

On testifying before the Jan. 6 committee: Pence said that the House select committee investigating Jan. 6 “has no right” to his testimony, arguing that agreeing to appear before the panel would create a terrible precedent. Pence added that despite “the partisan nature” of the committee troubling him, he never stood in the way of his senior staff cooperating and testifying before the panel. Pence had said in August that he would consider testifying before the Jan. 6 committee.

On election deniers in the midterm elections: The former vice president said election deniers “did not fare as well” as candidates who “focused on the future.” Pence added, “I think both parties would do well to work to reaffirm public confidence in our elections and their integrity. But I also think that the time has come for us to produce leaders in both parties that are focused on the future.”

On misinformation in the 2020 election: Pence was pressed on why he didn’t do more to stop Trump from spreading misinformation about the 2020 election – and make it clear to the American people that his claims of election fraud were lies. Pence blamed outside advisors like Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani and others for questioning the integrity of the election and essentially telling Trump what he wanted to hear. The president was surrounded by a group of advisers who were “telling him what his itching ears wanted to hear,” he said. Pence said he had forged a “close working relationship with Trump” calling him not only his president but his friend. He said he gave him advice in private and believed there were moments along the way where he had an impact in guiding Trump toward the right decision (without making their disagreements public).

On divisiveness in politics: Pence said voters want leaders that are more respectful, saying that he thinks the country is entering a “season where the American people are looking for that kind of leadership that vigorously debates our issues, stands strongly for them, as I always have, but does so with gentleness and respect.”

Read takeaways from tonight’s town hall here.

Winning the House majority, even with a smaller margin than they’d hoped, will give Republicans some newfound power to set the agenda when they take over the chamber in January.

House Republicans will have subpoena power in the majority and control over powerful committees — and they plan to make investigations into the Biden administration a top priority.

On the legislative front, there will be some must-pass policy issues — like funding the government — that will test the ability of Republicans and Democrats to work together.

Here’s a look at some of their plans:

Investigations: House Republicans are eyeing potential probes into everything from the chaotic pullout from Afghanistan, border policies being overseen by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic, the FBI search of Mar-a-Lago, business dealings involving President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, and the bureaucratic decision-making behind Covid-related school closures and vaccine mandates.

House Republicans may also use their majority to push a counter-narrative around the Jan. 6, 2021, attack in an attempt to shift blame away from former President Donald Trump after a violent mob of his supporters stormed the Capitol.

Even before the party clinched the House majority, some of the investigative groundwork laid out by Republican officials had started to come to fruition. A federal judge in Louisiana on Monday, for instance, ordered an FBI cybersecurity official to be deposed in a lawsuit alleging that the FBI coerced social media companies to block stories about Hunter Biden’s laptop ahead of the 2020 election.

The FBI deposition is one of several sought by the state Republican officials in a lawsuit accusing Biden officials of effectively enforcing government censorship by pushing social media companies to, among other things, police speech about the origins of the virus that causes Covid-19, the efficacy of face masks and health care measures intended to curb the spread of the virus, as well as claims about election integrity and the security of voting by mail.

It’s not yet clear how far House GOP leader Kevin McCarthy is willing to go when it comes to January 6 and the 2020 presidential election. And some Republicans argue that the party would be better served by moving past 2020.

GOP legislative agenda amid narrow majority: The president can exercise veto power over legislation, but House Republicans will still be able to push some messaging bills that highlight their agenda.

In an exclusive, wide-ranging interview with CNN, two days before the midterm elections, McCarthy outlined his plans for power, which includes tackling inflation, rising crime and border security — three issues that have become central to Republicans’ closing pitch to voters.

McCarthy also left the door open to launching eventual impeachment proceedings, which some of his members have already begun to call for.

During a private intraparty meeting on Monday ahead of leadership elections, McCarthy promised he would strip power from Democrats, vowing to kick Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar off the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and California Reps. Eric Swalwell and Adam Schiff off the House Intelligence Committee, according to a source in the room.

But Republicans’ slim majority will stand in the way of most – if not all — of their priorities in the chamber.

McCarthy’s allies have recently attempted to convince moderate Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas to switch parties in hopes of padding their slim margins, according to two sources familiar with the conversation. Cuellar flatly rejected the idea.

Following the US Supreme Court’s ruling in June to get rid of the federal constitutional right to an abortion in June, former Vice President Mike Pence is now calling for states to enact further restrictions.

Speaking during a CNN town hall Wednesday night, he welcomed that the issue of abortion “has been returned to the states and the American people, where it belongs.”

The court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade gave individual states the power to regulate abortion. And some states have chosen to protect it explicitly in their state constitutions while others have enacted laws that restricted, or outright banned, the procedure.

Pence said states should be enacting “pro-life protections” as well as “demonstrate generosity and compassion” to women facing what he described as “crisis pregnancies.” He also said more resources should be allocated to help support newborns.

“I always believed that Roe v. Wade would be overturned. I just didn’t know if it would be overturned in my lifetime,” Pence said.

“I’ll look forward to being a part of that — bringing principle and compassion to that debate. But because of the Supreme Court’s decision, the debate is now returned to the American people. And I’ll be a part of that in the cause of life,” he added.

Former Vice President Mike Pence was pressed by CNN’s Jake Tapper on why he didn’t do more to stop former President Donald Trump from spreading misinformation about the 2020 election – and make it clear to the American people that his claims of election fraud were lies.

Pence, speaking at CNN’s town hall Wednesday night, blamed outside advisors like Trump’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani and others for questioning the integrity of the election and essentially telling Trump what he wanted to hear. The President was surrounded by a group of advisers who were “telling him what his itching ears wanted to hear,” he said.

But Tapper pointed out that Pence wrote in his book that the election was essentially over on Dec. 14, 2020, when the electoral college voted, yet Trump continued to push state lawmakers to try to overturn the election results. Tapper pointed out that Pence didn’t say anything publicly – making it clear that he disagreed with those efforts – until his public statement on Jan. 6.

Pence said he had forged a “close working relationship with Trump” calling him not only his president but his friend. He said he gave him advice in private and believed there were moments along the way where he had an impact in guiding Trump toward the right decision (without making their disagreements public).

“I continued to hope that he would come around,” Pence said. “Things actually didn’t come to a head and become truly contentious between us until the final days, and the final hours.”

But in the end, Pence said, Trump did not come around.

Former Vice President Mike Pence said that the House select committee investigating Jan. 6 “has no right” to his testimony, arguing that agreeing to appear before the panel would create a terrible precedent.

“Congress doesn’t report to the White House. The White House doesn’t report to the Congress. And I truly do believe in defense of the separation of powers and to avoid what would be a terrible precedent – the very notion of a committee on Congress, in Congress, summoning a vice president to speak about deliberations that took place at the White House, I think, would violate that separation of powers. And I think it would erode the dynamic of the office of president and vice president for many years to come,” Pence told CNN’s Jake Tapper.

Pence added that despite “the partisan nature” of the committee troubling him, he never stood in the way of his senior staff cooperating and testifying before the panel.

Pence had said in August that he would consider testifying before the Jan. 6 committee.

Watch the moment:

Video Ad Feedback

59b39534-20cc-4ae1-a5da-7e9d1d7943f0.mp4

01:49 - Source: cnn

Former Vice President Mike Pence said in CNN’s town hall that focusing on complaints about the 2020 election is a political loser for Republicans. 

Pence said he had hoped the GOP would win Senate control and win a larger majority in the House in last week’s midterm elections. 

The common denominator, Pence said, was that candidates focused on the future did very well while those focused on “relitigating the past” did not fare as well.

“And I expect that’s going to be taken to heart by Republicans,” he said. 

He deflected some blame, saying that he campaigned with some election deniers –including New Hampshire Senate nominee Don Bolduc and Arizona Senate nominee Blake Masters – because he wanted to see Republican majorities on Capitol Hill. 

He also equated Trump’s lies about election fraud in 2020 to Hillary Clinton in 2016. 

“I think there’s been far too much questioning of elections, not just in 2020 but in 2016, where Hillary Clinton said that the election was stolen, said that Donald Trump was not a legitimate president, for years,” Pence said.

“I think both parties would do well to work to reaffirm public confidence in our elections and their integrity. But I also think that the time has come for us to produce leaders in both parties that are focused on the future,” he added.

Watch the moment:

Video Ad Feedback

6157d4bc-eab5-41d1-90b4-54d9ca7e0b65.mp4

03:29 - Source: cnn

Former Vice President Mike Pence said he was angry with former President Donald Trump in the days following the deadly insurrection at the US Capitol.

“I must tell you the president’s words and tweet that day were reckless. They endangered my family and all the people at the Capitol,” Pence said during a CNN town hall Wednesday after watching video of secret service trying to get him and his wife out of the building during the riot.

Pence said he was “angry,” but in the days that followed, he leaned on his faith, specifically pointing to the moment when he met with the former president.

“I prayed for God’s grace to meet that moment and that spirit — and it wasn’t easy,” he said. “To be honest with you I’m as human as the next guy and I still pray for the president, and I pray for the grace to forgive him and all those responsible for that tragic day.”

“But I truly do believe that we live in a time when the American people ought to be searching their hearts and having more grace toward one another,” Pence added.

The former vice president said he believes Trump was “remorseful” and “saddened” about what happened, saying, “I know that’s at odds with people’s public perception about him, but I want to tell you it was true.”

Watch the moment:

Video Ad Feedback

b9a21d79-121c-43ef-ace2-4a66f2593cca.mp4

02:50 - Source: cnn

During tonight’s CNN town hall, Jake Tapper played footage of rioters at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 chanting “hang Mike Pence,” and asked former Vice President Mike Pence to reflect on what he felt in those moments. Pence first said it saddened him to see those images, adding “that day it angered me.”

He noted that he told Secret Service that he would not leave the Capitol and was determined to stay at his post, in part because he did not want to give those rioters the sight of his motorcade speeding away that day.

“But frankly, when I saw those images, and when I read a tweet that President Trump issued, saying that I lacked courage in that moment. It angered me greatly,” Pence told Tapper. But, he said, “I didn’t have time for it.”

“The President had decided in that moment to be a part of the problem,” Pence said. He added he “was determined to be part of the solution. And so we essentially set that aside.”

He said he gathered the Republican and Democratic leadership of the House and Senate on a conference call, reached out to leadership at the Pentagon and the Justice Department “to surge additional resources” to assist Capitol Hill police officers. Ultimately, he noted they were able to reconvene Congress on the same day.

“We demonstrated to the American people and the world the strength of our institutions, the resilience of our democracy, but those memories, those images will always be with me,” Pence said.

Watch the moment:

Video Ad Feedback

da9e2e50-a984-445a-be40-e67a2e7be707.mp4

02:17 - Source: cnn

He’s published a memoir, gone out on the media circuit for interviews and is standing now at a CNN town hall – so what are Pence’s plans and do they involve a run for president in 2024?

Faced with that question on Wednesday night, Pence was coy.

“I’ll keep you posted,” Pence told Jake Tapper.

Moments earlier, as he avoided committing his support to former President Donald Trump’s newly announced campaign, Pence said, “I think it’s time for new leadership in this country that will bring us together around our highest ideals.”

Pressed on the question about his own future, Pence replied, “There may be someone else in that contest I’d prefer more.”

“I honestly believe we’re going to have better choices,” Pence said.

Former Vice President Mike Pence said that Jan. 6, 2021, was “the most difficult day of my public life,” during tonight’s CNN town hall.

“Clearly the days leading up to Jan. 6 and Jan. 6 itself was the most difficult day of my public life,” Pence responded to a question from an audience member, Daniela Moloci, a student from Indiana University.

Pence went on to discuss how he was “always loyal” to former President Donald Trump and kept any disagreements he had with him private.

“I thought it was important, as vice president, that I offer my advice and my counsel to the president confidentially. And we did. But I had one higher loyalty, and that was to God and the Constitution. And that’s what set in motion the confrontation that would come to pass on Jan. 6 because I had taken an oath to the Constitution of the United States,” Pence said.

He said that on the day of the insurrection he was determined to keep his oath – and going against Trump’s wishes that day after working closely with him “was difficult.”

“But I’ll always believe that we did our duty that day upholding the Constitution of the United States and the laws of this country and the peaceful transfer of power,” the former vice president said.

Watch the moment:

Video Ad Feedback

3752580e-9370-47d7-9947-d90f9f82cee1.mp4

01:53 - Source: cnn

Former Vice President Mike Pence said in a CNN town hall Wednesday night that Republicans will “have better choices” in the 2024 presidential race than former President Donald Trump.

Pence told CNN’s Jake Tapper he believes Americans “want us to get back to the policies of the Trump-Pence administration.” 

“The other thing that I’ve heard consistently is the American people are looking for new leadership – leadership that will unite our country around our highest ideals, leadership that will reflect the civility and respect that most Americans have for each other,” Pence said. 

He did not directly address whether he will run for president himself but alluded to the possibility. 

“I think in the days ahead, whatever role I and my family play in the Republican Party, whether it’s as a candidate or simply a part of the cause, I think we’ll have better choices than my old running mate. I think America longs to go back to the policies that were working for the American people – but I think it’s time for new leadership,” Pence said.

Watch the moment:

Video Ad Feedback

94443951-7181-4079-aeb8-f94abface77c.mp4

01:13 - Source: cnn

Democrat Andrea Salinas will win in Oregon’s 6th Congressional District, CNN projects, defeating Republican Mike Erickson. This is a new seat.

CNN projected earlier this evening that Republicans will win the House after reaching the 218 seats necessary to claim a majority.

On the topic of political divisiveness in America, former Vice President Mike Pence said Wednesday he thinks people want to see leadership that will unite people around our “highest ideals.”

At a CNN town hall, Pence said that during his early days in politics he “got involved in one of those negative personal attacks,” but when it was all over, he tried to get back to his faith and move forward in a way that demonstrated decency with a commitment to treating people decently.

He said he believes that Americans are looking to get back to that sentiment.

“We’re going into a season where the American people are looking for that kind of leadership that vigorously debates our issues, stands strongly for them, as I always have, but does so with gentleness and respect,” Pence said.

On the topic of Donald Trump, a candidate and president who highlighted divides in American politics, Pence said when Trump was the Republican nominee for president he “was the right man at the right time.”

He said he believes Trump was the only candidate that could have beaten Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016, pointing to the unique political landscape.

But Pence added that he thinks we are “moving into a different season in America.”

Former Vice President Mike Pence is participating in a CNN town hall as questions swirl about his plans for 2024 and the direction of the Republican Party after a disappointing showing in last week’s midterm elections.

CNN anchor and chief Washington correspondent Jake Tapper will be moderating the discussion. The town hall will be held in New York City in front of a live studio audience and Pence is expected to take questions.

The town hall is taking place the day after former President Donald Trump announced his third bid for president and just hours after CNN projected Republicans will win the House. The event also follows the release of Pence’s memoir, “So Help Me God,” on Tuesday.

The former vice president has hinted at his own potential 2024 run, recently telling ABC News he thinks “we’ll have better choices in the future” than Trump. In the same interview, he criticized Trump for being “reckless” with his tweet attacking him on Jan. 6, 2021.

Pence has been coy about his plans for 2024, but he has long been viewed as a potential aspirant for the Republican presidential nomination.

How can you watch it? The town hall will stream live for paid TV subscribers via CNN.com and CNN OTT and mobile apps under “TV Channels,” and on CNNgo, including on top of our live updates coverage.

The town hall will also be available on demand beginning Thursday to paid TV subscribers via CNN.com, CNN apps, and cable operator platforms.

Democrat Rep. Mike Levin will win in California’s 49th District, CNN projects, defeating Republican Brian Maryott. This is a Democratic hold. 

CNN projected earlier this evening that Republicans will win the House after reaching the 218 seats necessary to claim a majority.

House Republicans voted for Kevin McCarthy as their leader on Tuesday. But that victory contained a dangerous omen for the California Republican as he tries to become the next speaker of the House.

McCarthy won the leadership vote over Arizona GOP Rep. Andy Biggs by a 188-31 margin. Which is the problem.

CNN projects that Republicans will win control of the House — but their majority will be a narrow one. As of Wednesday evening, CNN projected Republicans will control 218 seats compared to 208 for the Democrats. If the current leaders of the nine uncalled races wind up winning, that would leave Republicans with 221 seats.

Under that scenario, McCarthy would only be able to afford to lose three Republican votes in the new Congress to secure a majority and become speaker, presuming Democrats remain united in opposition.

That would mean McCarthy could only lose one out of every 10 members who cast a ballot for Biggs. Which is almost zero margin for error.

It’s worth noting here that voting against McCarthy in a secret-ballot election among the Republican conference isn’t the same thing as voting against him to be speaker on the House floor in January.

It’s possible that the members who voted against him — particularly the members of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus — did so as a way of voicing their concerns and getting McCarthy’s attention.

McCarthy can also take some solace in fact that past House speakers initially received fewer than 218 votes in their intraparty elections. Democrats nominated Nancy Pelosi for speaker by a 203-32 vote in 2018, and Republicans nominated Paul Ryan by a 200-43 vote in 2015 – though both enjoyed larger majorities at the time than McCarthy will.

Democratic Rep. Karen Bass overcame more than $100 million in spending by her rival Rick Caruso to win the Los Angeles mayor’s race, CNN projects, making history as the first woman and the first Black woman to serve as mayor.

Bass, who currently represents a Los Angeles-area House seat, was on Joe Biden’s shortlist for a running mate in the 2020 campaign.

She’s no stranger to making history: She previously served in the California State Assembly, where in 2008 she became the first Black woman to serve as speaker of a state legislature.

In her campaign, Bass emphasized the depth of her policy experience and her reputation as a collaborative listener and legislator. She also highlighted her early work as a physician assistant in the emergency room and her experience bringing together Black and Latino community organizers in South LA in the early 1990s to address the root causes of crime and the crack epidemic. She did that work through the nonprofit she founded, Community Coalition. 

Bass also highlighted her role as a dealmaker when she led the California State Assembly after the 2008 financial crisis – making budget decisions that earned her a John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award in 2010. She also made history in that role – becoming the first Black woman to serve as speaker of a state legislature in 2008. 

She argued that her experience would give her a unique perspective and understanding of the problems with homelessness in Los Angeles. She said her experience in the emergency room had given her a depth of understanding of the problem that her primary rivals, including Caruso, did not have. 

“I have a background in the medical field. I’ve worked with these patients,” she told CNN in an interview earlier this year. “I spent several years in the emergency room at (LA) county. My patients were homeless. My patients were mentally ill. They had substance abuse. I know these systems.” 

She said she would declare a state of emergency on homelessness that would set a new tone on addressing homelessness citywide: “It should be dealt with like a natural disaster,” she told CNN. “I’m really hoping that we begin to build a new spirit in this city, where people understand that this problem is everyone’s problem.”

President Joe Biden congratulated House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Republicans winning the House majority and said he is “ready to work with House Republicans to deliver results for working families.”

“Last week’s elections demonstrated the strength and resilience of American democracy,” a statement from the president said. “There was a strong rejection of election deniers, political violence, and intimidation. There was an emphatic statement that, in America, the will of the people prevails.”

The statement continued:

“In this election, voters spoke clearly about their concerns: the need to lower costs, protect the right to choose, and preserve our democracy. As I said last week, the future is too promising to be trapped in political warfare. The American people want us to get things done for them. They want us to focus on the issues that matter to them and on making their lives better. And I will work with anyone — Republican or Democrat — willing to work with me to deliver results for them.”

Republicans will win control of the House, CNN projects, and with that majority comes the power of committees and influence to set the agenda, which will make things much harder for the Biden administration in the next two years.

The GOP has won the 218 seats necessary to claim the majority, according to CNN projections, and Democrats will have a narrow majority in the Senate.

CNN chief congressional correspondent Manu Raju explained why winning control of the House is significant for Republicans. 

“You have subpoena power. You can set schedules for hearings. You can call Cabinet secretaries to come testify. You can do what your party wants to do,” Raju said as he noted how it will impact what might come from lawmakers at the start of the new year.

Additionally, Kevin McCarthy, who won his party’s nomination for speaker of the House, and the rest of GOP leadership will be able to set the exact schedule for what they want to bring to the floor. They can also refuse to bring measures up and set priorities that align with their party’s agenda, Raju added.

In the first two years of President Joe Biden’s term, Democrats held a narrow majority in both the House and Senate. This allowed them to pass some significant bills strictly along party lines, like the Inflation Reduction Act, for example, Raju explained.

“They will no longer be able to do that, because in order to move through the budget process, you need support within… essentially among your party, and Republicans and Democrats would not agree to move in such sweeping legislation like that,” Raju said in his analysis, adding that any legislation that passes now will have to be incremental.

WATCH: Manu Raju explains what the GOP taking control of the House means

Republicans will win control of the House of Representatives, CNN projects, reaching the threshold of 218 seats needed for a majority in the chamber after Republican Mike Garcia won in California’s 27th Congressional District.

The victory will fall short of their hopes of a “red wave” but thwart President Joe Biden’s domestic agenda and will likely subject his White House to relentless investigations.

The fact that the GOP finally passed the threshold of 218 seats needed for control of the chamber eight days after Election Day – and that it came down to the final districts to report results – underscores the party’s underwhelming midterm election performance, which history and political logic suggested should have delivered a heftier rebuke to Biden and Democrats.

In defiance of political gravity, Democrats held onto the Senate after an election dominated by concerns about high inflation and influenced, in some places, by the Supreme Court’s overturning of a constitutional right to abortion this summer. There’s still an outstanding Senate race in Georgia, which will be decided by a December runoff and will determine how large the Democrats’ majority will be.

Republicans’ victory in the House will end Democrat Nancy Pelosi’s second tenure as speaker in January. But its majority looks set to number a handful of seats, far short of initial expectations in a margin that will make managing a restive Republican conference a stiff task for party leaders.

And while less impressive than party leaders had hoped for, it still represents a return of Trump-style ideology and chaos politics to Washington, given the strong influence the ex-president is likely to wield over his acolytes in the GOP conference. The former president announced his 2024 presidential bid on Tuesday night.

Republican Rep. Mike Garcia will in California’s 27 District, CNN projects, helping the GOP reach the 218 seats necessary to gain control of the House.

After Maine’s ranked-choice tabulation, Rep. Jared Golden will win in the state’s 2nd Congressional District, CNN projects, defeating Republican Bruce Poliquin in a rematch of their 2018 contest for the same seat. This is a Democratic hold.

Here’s where things stand in the House:

Republicans need to win one more race to reach the 218 seats necessary to gain control of the House.

The $122 million-dollar Los Angeles mayor’s race between US Rep. Karen Bass and real estate magnate Rick Caruso is still too close to call, along with six House races in California that could determine the balance of power in Washington, raising a perennial question: Why does it take California so long to count its votes?

More than a week after Election Day and as the nation awaits an official call on which party will control the US House of Representatives, attention is turning to some of the outstanding races in California that could tip the scales. Tuesday was the last day that county election officials could accept ballots that were postmarked on or before Election Day — meaning the Golden State is just getting started counting some of those late-arriving ballots.

California now mails every registered voter a ballot, a practice that began in 2020 amid the Covid-19 pandemic and ultimately became permanent in Sept. 2021 in an effort to increase voter access and participation. Under state law, ballots postmarked on or before Election Day must be accepted by county elections offices for seven days after polls close.

The sheer volume of ballots that election officials are now counting is enormous. In the 2020 election, more than 15 million mail ballots were cast in the general election – comprising about 87% of the total. This year, there were nearly 22 million registered California voters by mid-October, according to figures from the California secretary of state.

The official canvassing period — the process of tabulating votes — will continue up to Dec. 8, when county election officials must report their final official results to the secretary of state (though some counties have set earlier deadlines to certify their own election results). The California secretary of state will certify the state’s results by Dec. 16.

“It’s just a huge electorate and in some of the counties — LA County, Orange County, even Kern County where the [GOP Rep. David] Valadao race is – there are a lot of people living there and a lot of ballots that have to be counted,” said Christian Grose, academic director at the USC Schwarzenegger Institute for State and Global Policy, who has studied election administration. “With that ‘week after’ deadline, really the counting starts in earnest now. They really will be finishing the counting in the next week or two instead of the immediate day after Election Day.”

Keep reading here.

Former Vice President Mike Pence told CBS News that he is “closing the door” on testifying before the House Select Committee investigating Jan. 6, putting an end to the question of whether he would agree to speak with the committee before it wraps its investigation. 

“I am closing the door on that, but I must say again, the partisan nature of the Jan. 6 committee has been a disappointment to me,” Pence said.  

Pence criticized the makeup of the committee, ignoring the fact that Republicans rejected earlier opportunities to form the panel in a more bipartisan fashion, but acknowledged that he did not stand in the way of members of his senior staff, including his chief of staff Marc Short, from testifying in front of the panel. 

“It’s inconceivable to me that one party would appoint every member of a committee in Congress that’s antithetical to the whole idea of the committee system,” Pence said. 

He continued, “We have a separation of powers under the Constitution of the United States. And I believe it would establish a terrible precedent for the Congress to summon a Vice President of the United States to speak about deliberations that took place at the White House.”

Pence said even though he does not want to testify before the committee, he would continue to share his story about what happened on Jan. 6 in his book and he will “continue to speak openly about it.”

CNN has previously reported that Pence’s legal counsel had been in communication with the committee about whether he would testify. Over the summer, the panel dedicated an entire hearing to the pressure campaign Pence faced in the lead-up to Capitol attack, which included testimony from some of his top aides.

GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger, a member of the committee, was quick to criticize Pence’s decision not to testify.

“Hey Pence, do you like Democracy or nah? Did trump break the law or nah? Pick a lane and a position. You will fail to please everyone” Kinzinger tweeted.

Pence will participate in a CNN town hall airing at 9:00 p.m. ET tonight.

Committee’s response: The House select committee also issued a statement pushing back on Pence’s comments.

“The Select Committee has proceeded respectfully and responsibly in our engagement with Vice President Pence, so it is disappointing that he is misrepresenting the nature of our investigation while giving interviews to promote his new book” Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson and GOP Rep. Liz Cheney, who serve as chair and vice chair of the committee respectively, said in a joint statement.

“The Select Committee has consistently praised the former Vice President’s refusal to bow to former President Trump’s pressure to illegally refuse to count electoral votes on January 6th. But his recent statements about the Select Committee are not accurate.”

The panel’s leaders also debunked Pence’s criticism of the makeup of the committee neglected to include Republican members, detailing how Republican pushback along the way led to the committee’s current formation.

A growing number of Senate Republicans are calling for a reassessment of the National Republican Senatorial Committee’s spending decisions after the party failed to take back the majority in 2022 despite a favorable national political environment. 

The NRSC and the Senate Leadership Fund, the Mitch McConnell-aligned Super PAC, have sparred for months over the quality of various candidates and when, where and how to spend resources.

Utah Senator Mitt Romney said Wednesday that he has not called for an “audit” of the NRSC. But he would like to see an evaluation of its “initiatives,” “investments,” “fundraising” and payments to political consultants.

“How well did various aspects of fundraising go,” he asked. “How much was paid to various consultants and did they do the job we wanted them to do?” 

Asked if he was concerned about any potential wrongdoing, Romney said, “No.”

Republican Sen. Rick Scott, the NRSC chair, said in a statement that the Senate GOP campaign arm is “more than happy” to discuss its spending with senators. Politico first reported that a couple of lawmakers — Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Thom Tillis — privately called for an audit of the NRSC on Tuesday. 

Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley said there was a “distinct change in tone” from members at the Senate GOP’s closed-door meeting on Wednesday.

“Senators backed off of that today,” said Hawley. “I don’t know if there was a little indigestion about that… People who had yesterday were using that word, today said, ‘Oh, that’s not what I meant. That’s not what I meant.’”

But Tillis reiterated his call on Wednesday, according to a person familiar. And a Blackburn spokesperson said, “Senator Blackburn’s position has not changed. That is incorrect.”

House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy said he has “plenty of time” to get the support of members of his conference who voted against his speakership bid on Tuesday, following an hours-long meeting where Republicans discussing the rules package that will govern the new Congress.

“I think we got plenty of time to do that, yes,” he said. “I don’t know that this is about winning them over. I think it’s discussing and listening to them.”

McCarthy said progress was made on several fronts, including expanding the Steering Committee and saying leadership would like to open up the floor for more amendments. 

“We’ll continue to work with our conference to be able to produce more of their amendments for the floor,” he said. “We’re not done. It was a great discussion. We got part of it done. We’ll carry it on again after we come back” from recess, McCarthy said.

Remember: CNN has yet to project which party will win control of the House although the GOP is only one seat away from gaining the necessary 218 seats.

Speaking to a group of Republican donors in Orlando on Tuesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis touted his strength in the suburbs, his rural turnout effort and his appeal with Latino voters just one week after he cruised to victory in his reelection effort.

DeSantis made the pitch in a conversational tone that reflected his good mood after his win last week, according to a person in the room. His remarks came at a time when the Florida Republican is being touted as a potential presidential candidate and a preferable alternative among many in the party to former President Donald Trump.

The group of about 250 people, which included donors to the Republican Governors Association as well as governors and their spouses, gave DeSantis a standing ovation at the end of his conversation with outgoing Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts. The person in the room told CNN that DeSantis walked through in detail where he performed well across the state, including winning the traditionally Democratic Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties.

When asked by Ricketts what he would like to work on with Republican governors, DeSantis said he was looking to take on the growth of so-called environmental, social and governance, or ESG, investment funds as well as improving border security, the person said.

A second person familiar with the speech confirmed that DeSantis did not mention Trump, who later on Tuesday announced he was running for president in 2024.

Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, who lost a bid for the GOP leadership in the Senate in a secret ballot Wednesday, didn’t answer directly when asked if he has confidence in Sen. Mitch McConnell’s leadership.

“I support the Republican leadership,” he told CNN.

McConnell won the leadership vote 37-10-1 and said at a news conference that he was “pretty proud” of the result.

Scott also defended the decision of the National Republican Senatorial Committee — which he chairs — to not engage in GOP primaries, a decision some McConnell allies believe helped weak candidates emerge. 

“We should trust the voters of the states,” he said.

Asked if he supported former President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign, Scott said: “I’m not getting involved in the presidential campaigns.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi could make an announcement about whether she will run for the top House Democrat leadership spot this week, according to several senior representatives.

While Pelosi hasn’t said one way or the other what she will do so far, the senior House Democrats told CNN they believe she will announce her decision before the House recess by the end of the week.

Why this is important: What happens in Democratic leadership elections revolves around the key question of what Pelosi decides to do. Until Pelosi makes her announcement, much of the rest of the field is expected to remain essentially frozen in place.

If Pelosi decides to run again for the top leadership spot for House Democrats, it will make clear that she is not yet ready to relinquish her role atop the House Democratic caucus. Pelosi, a towering figure in Democratic politics, commands widespread support among her members and is viewed as an effective leader within her party.

But if she runs again for leadership, such a move would also likely surprise, and even frustrate, many in Washington, including members of her own party, who have been anticipating that she might step aside for a new generation of leadership to take the reins.

If Pelosi does not run for the top leadership post, it would set the stage for a major shakeup in House Democratic leadership and mark the end of an era for Washington. The move would kick off a fight for her successor that could expose divisions within the party as other prominent members of the party look to move up the leadership ladder.

Remember: CNN has not projected which party will control the House yet. Republicans are on the cusp of reaching the 218 seats necessary to claim a House majority. Eleven House races remain uncalled — and the GOP needs to win one more to gain control of the lower chamber.

CNN’s Clare Foran, Melanie Zanona and Annie Grayer contributed to this report

Rep. Adam Schiff will not seek a leadership position in the Democratic caucus next Congress, multiple sources tell CNN.

Instead, he is considering a run for Senate in California where Democratic Sen. Diane Feinstein, 89, is up for reelection in 2024.  

This paves the way for Hakeem Jeffries to become the leader of the Democratic caucus. Jeffries is widely seen as the favorite in the caucus for the position, if House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, who is the current leader, runs for a different position next Congress. 

Hoyer is considering a number of options to stay in Democratic leadership in the new Congress, including running for leader or for the whip position, sources told CNN on Tuesday.

Remember: CNN has yet to project which party will win the House as several key races are too early to call. But, right now, Republicans hold 217 seats — one away from the 218 needed to capture the majority.

House Democratic leadership elections have been announced for Nov. 30. Voting will take place behind closed doors via secret ballot using an app.

To be elected to any position in Democratic leadership, a candidate needs to win a majority among those present and voting. If more than two candidates run and no one wins a majority, the candidate with the fewest votes after the first round of voting will be eliminated and voting will proceed to a second round.

Republicans are one seat away from winning control of the House, with votes in some western states and Maine still being counted more than a week after Election Day. Either party needs to win at least 218 seats to have the majority.

Here’s where the balance of power in the House stands:

The most uncalled races are in California — six of the remaining 11 races have not been projected. Counting there could take weeks because the official canvass is not due for a month after Election Day.

Two races are still too close to call in Colorado, including in the 3rd District where Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert is in a surprisingly tight race, leading by just more than 1,1000 votes with about 99% of ballots in.

Alaska and Maine still have one race each to call. Both states use a ranked-choice voting system. Oregon also has not yet projected the winner in its 6th Congressional District. The state conducts its elections entirely by mail.

Senate leadership elections: Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell won a secret-ballot leadership election after days of finger-pointing over the Republican election losses, putting him on pace to becoming the longest-serving Senate party leader in US history in the next Congress. McConnell defeated Sen. Rick Scott, his first challenger in his 15 years atop his conference.

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced that the Democratic Senate leadership elections will be on Dec. 8, according to a source.

Still ahead: Former Vice President Mike Pence is set to participate in a CNN town hall on Wednesday as questions swirl about his plans for 2024 and the direction of the Republican Party after a disappointing showing in the midterm elections.

The town hall is taking place the day after former President Donald Trump announced his third bid for president and follows the release of Pence’s memoir, “So Help Me God,” on Tuesday.

Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham and Josh Hawley both said after a lengthy Senate GOP meeting that they voted for Sen. Rick Scott for leader over Mitch McConnell because they wanted change in the wake of the 2022 midterm elections.

“I voted for change,” said Graham. “I accept the results of the conference, and I hope we can be better.” 

Asked by CNN why McConnell won, Hawley turned sarcastic. 

“Why do I think he won? Because the conference doesn’t want to change course,” said Hawley. “They want to do what we’re doing. It’s working so well.”

Hawley told reporters that he asked McConnell and Scott why “a sizable number of” independent voters stayed home. 

“That’s why there wasn’t a red wave,” Hawley said.

“I just asked both of the candidates, ‘Do you acknowledge that as a fact — and what do you think we need to do different?’ Because clearly, the Republican Party’s got to do something different if we ever want to be a majority party,” said Hawley.  

Hawley also told reporters that he believes McConnell blames former President Donald Trump for the party’s lackluster showing in the midterms.  

“I think Senator McConnell’s view is that Trump is largely to blame, and that Republicans have an image problem because of Trump. I have to say that I don’t agree with that,” he said. 

Hawley added to CNN that he doesn’t believe this division within the conference his going away. 

“I hope that this is the beginning of a conversation and not the end of it. And we haven’t resolved anything, we’ve chosen leadership, which is the same leadership. So now we’ve got to think about what do we do going forward,” he said.

Majority Leader Chuck Schumer announced that their caucus leadership elections will be on Dec. 8, according to a source familiar at the Senate Democrats’ lunch Wednesday.

Schumer plans to nominate Sen. Patty Murray to be president pro tempore during the elections, the source said, adding that the position will be subject to approval by the full conference.

Murray is getting the job because 89-year-old Dianne Feinstein passed up the position. Her office hasn’t said why but members have been concerned about her mental sharpness.

CNN’s Manu Raju contributed to this report.

Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell wins a secret-ballot leadership election after days of finger-pointing over the Republican election losses, putting him on pace to becoming the longest-serving Senate party leader in US history in the next Congress.

McConnell defeated Sen. Rick Scott, his first challenger in his 15 years atop his conference. McConnell spokesperson David Popp confirmed the outcome but did not provide a tally.

McConnell won the leadership vote 37-10-1, according to two senators. One senator voted present.

McConnell took a victory lap after winning reelection, saying “I’m not going anywhere,” but made clear to CNN’s Manu Raju that he does not “own this job.”

As former President Trump announced his intention to run for reelection in 2024 on Tuesday night, McConnell noted he plans to “stay out” of the GOP presidential primary as it will be “highly contested” and he doesn’t “have a dog in that fight.” 

Raju asked McConnell about what he’s learned from his first leadership challenge and whether he’ll change his approach at all. McConnell responded that he doesn’t “own” this job and “anyone who wants to run for it can feel free to do so”, but he feels “pretty proud” of the results.

“First, I don’t own this job. Anybody who wants to run for it can feel free to do so, and so I’m not in any way offended by having an opponent or having a few votes in opposition,” McConnell said. “As everyone has said, we had a good opportunity to discuss the various differences. People had a chance to listen to both candidates. And I’m pretty proud of 37 to 10.”

McConnell made the remarks on Wednesday at a press conference after a lengthy closed-door meeting among the Republican caucus where they elected a leader by secret ballot. He introduced the new GOP leadership team for the next two years and said he’s “grateful” for the opportunity to “continue to serve.” The leadership team now also includes GOP Sen. Steve Daines as the new NRSC chair replacing Sen. Rick Scott.

In discussion about the midterm elections, McConnell also noted that he “didn’t used to like the runoff in Georgia” but he’s pleased it now gives them “a second chance” to win the seat in December. “We’re going to do everything we can to get Hershel Walker elected,” he said.

Republican Sen. Rick Scott said in a statement that the Senate GOP campaign arm he runs is “more than happy” to discuss its spending with senators after Politico reported that a couple of lawmakers — Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Thom Tillis — privately called for an audit of the National Republican Senatorial Committee on Tuesday. 

Scott urged the two Mitch McConnell-aligned outside groups Senate Leadership Fund and One Nation to “do the same.”

Scott also said there were “hundreds of thousands of dollars in unauthorized and improper bonuses paid to outgoing staff after the majority was lost in 2020.”

“When that’s your starting point, you work really hard to make sure there are transparent processes,” he added.

In response to Scott’s charge about “hundreds of thousands of dollars in unauthorized and improper bonuses” for 2020 NRSC staffers, Kevin McLaughlin, the NRSC executive director for the 2020 election cycle, said:

“This is what children do when they are caught with their hand in the cookie jar, they lash out. Obviously, this is crazy, and we welcome a full-scale audit.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday told reporters that he and GOP Leader Mitch McConnell have been making “remarkably similar” statements on why Republicans didn’t do as well in the midterm elections as many in the party predicted they would.

“What Senator McConnell said yesterday, and what I’ve been saying are remarkably similar – take a look,” Schumer said on Wednesday, referring to remarks McConnell made at his policy news conference on Tuesday to CNN’s Manu Raju.

On Tuesday, McConnell told Raju that he believes “we underperformed among independents and moderates because their impression of many of the people in our party and leadership roles is that they’re engulfed in chaos, negativity and excessive attacks, and it frightened independent and moderate Republican voters.”

Schumer’s office pointed CNN to remarks he made making a similar point on “CNN This Morning” earlier this week where he said moderate Republican voters were “afraid of this MAGA” movement.

“It’s different this time cause they lost,” he said. “They all expected to win. The red wave proved to be a red mirage. And one — if not the main reason, but one of the main reasons for sure — was that average American folks, even those in the middle, even those who tended to be Republican said, ‘I’m afraid of this MAGA. They’re trying to ruin our Democracy.’ It’s not, if you look at the numbers, if you look at the results, House and Senate, the MAGA Republican way didn’t work. The MAGA Republican candidates across the board, you just showed some of them, lost. So, if you’re a good leader of a Republican party, you say continuing to follow them is a path to disaster.”

What’s taking so long to determine which party has control of the US House? Blame the whole vote-by-mail West Coast, really. Actually, don’t blame them. This is just how elections work in 2022.

Blame an evenly divided electorate: If elections weren’t so close, it wouldn’t take so long to figure out who won. As of this writing, CNN has still not projected who will control the House in large part because of close races on the West Coast.

West Coast nail-biters: Here’s a look at the 11 House races for which there is no projection as of this writing. You’ll notice the western bias:

Two additional outstanding House races are in Alaska and Maine, where determining the winner in a ranked-choice voting system takes longer. That means we know results for the vast majority of the elections that concluded Tuesday.

Some races in California could take weeks: The West Coast has been taking a long time to count these votes for years, but the process is getting added scrutiny this year because those unprojected races will determine who controls the chambers of Congress.

CNN’s Eric Bradner talked to California’s top election official back in 2018, when officials there were still counting ballots and it was not clear who would win a race more than three weeks after Election Day. The official canvass isn’t due for a month after Election Day in California because the state wants to be sure to count every vote.

The voters have spoken. This is just the counting: Meantime, look for periodic evening dumps of additional votes that could change the momentum of these extremely tight races. If the races were not so close, there might not be enough of these mail-in ballots to make a difference in the final tally. News organizations won’t project a winner unless there is a certainty of victory.

Sen. Rick Scott of Florida will challenge Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell for his powerful post after the Republicans failed to win back the majority despite a favorable political environment.

Scott has little chance of succeeding – even though it’s the first real opponent McConnell has faced in his 15 years as the longest-serving GOP leader. Senate Republicans are expected to hold leadership elections Wednesday.

Scott, who chairs the National Republican Senatorial Committee, has had a long-simmering conflict with McConnell over messaging, outlook and how to spend resources this election cycle. The two have disagreed over the quality of their candidates, whether to engage in GOP primaries, whether to put forward an agenda or keep the focus on President Joe Biden, and where to compete.

Asked about Scott’s attacks about his refusal to lay out a policy agenda, McConnell pushed back, and instead pointed to unnamed people in the party who are “engulfed in chaos, negativity and excessive attacks,” adding that “it frightened independent and moderate Republican voters.”

McConnell also again pointed to “candidate quality” as an issue in key races. Last week, Steven Law, the president of the Senate Leadership Fund, a McConnell-aligned super PAC, suggested that the GOP re-evaluate the NRSC’s “hands-off approach to primaries” in an effort to elect candidates who will perform better in the general election. A NRSC spokesman responded, “Anyone who hates our candidates hates the Republican voters who chose them.”

But after getting burned in 2010 and 2012 primaries, McConnell has held a different view.

“We learned some lessons about this, and I think the lesson’s pretty clear,” said McConnell on Tuesday. “Senate races are different. Candidate quality, you recall I said in August, is important. In most of our states we met that test, in a few of them we did not.”

Former President Donald Trump, aiming to become only the second commander-in-chief ever elected to two non-consecutive terms, announced Tuesday night that he will seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2024.

“In order to make America great and glorious again, I am tonight announcing my candidacy for president of the United States,” Trump told a crowd gathered at Mar-a-Lago, his waterfront estate in Florida, where his campaign will be headquartered.

Surrounded by allies, advisers, and conservative influencers, Trump delivered a relatively subdued speech, rife with spurious and exaggerated claims about his four years in office. To evoke nostalgia for his time in office among Republicans who have shown signs of Trump fatigue following the midterms, he frequently contrasted his first-term accomplishments with the Biden administration’s policies and the current economic climate. Many of those perceived accomplishments – from strict immigration actions to corporate tax cuts and religious freedom initiatives – remain deeply polarizing to this day.

As Trump spoke to a roomful of Republicans who expect him to face primary challengers in the coming months, he also claimed the party cannot afford to nominate “a politician or conventional candidate” if it wants to win back the White House.

“This will not be my campaign, this will be our campaign all together,” Trump said.

Trump’s long-awaited campaign comes as he tries to reclaim the spotlight following the GOP’s underwhelming midterm elections performance – including the losses of several Trump-endorsed election deniers – and the subsequent blame game that has unfolded since Election Day. Republicans failed to gain a Senate majority, came up short in their efforts to fill several statewide seats, and have yet to secure a House majority, with only 215 races called in their favor so far out of the 218 needed, developments that have forced Trump and other party leaders into a defensive posture as they face reproval from within their ranks.

Trump’s paperwork establishing his candidacy landed with the Federal Election Committee shortly before he delivered his announcement at Mar-a-Lago.

Read more about Trump’s 2024 bid here

Republicans are one seat away from winning the 218 seats necessary to claim a House majority, according to CNN projections.

As control of the House still hangs in the balance, the GOP on Tuesday voted to nominate California Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the House minority leader since 2019, for speaker. McCarthy won a secret ballot on a 188-31 vote, fending off a long-shot challenge from Arizona Rep. Andy Biggs, a former chair of the conservative House Freedom Caucus.

Here’s where things stand right in House races:  

Democrats would need to win all of the 11 remaining races to retain control.

Here’s a look at what races have not been called yet:

CNN’s Andrew Menezes, Maeve Reston, Eric Bradner and Renée Rigdon contributed reporting to this post.