The White House News

A competitive race is brewing within the House GOP after the conference’s No. 4 leader was plucked to serve in the new Trump administration.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., was elevated to serve as ambassador to the United Nations next year, sending lawmakers jockeying to fill her spot in Wednesday’s internal party leadership elections.

Now, at least three GOP lawmakers are running to fill her role, sources say, while two others have expressed interest. 

The House GOP Conference chair is responsible for crafting and overseeing House Republicans’ messaging strategy, as well as setting up their weekly conference meetings and beyond.

TRUMP NAMES STEFANIK UN AMBASSADOR

It is an influential role on Capitol Hill that is little-known outside of Washington, D.C., but that could change in a federal government where Republicans control the White House, House and Senate.

Here’s everyone who is considering running so far.

Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., is a member of the conservative Republican Study Committee and has at times served as a liaison during negotiations between House GOP leaders and more right-wing members of the conference.

She has the backing of several fellow Republicans like Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Ga., and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky.

Cammack’s bid was also endorsed by LGBT group Log Cabin Republicans and the national Young Republicans organization.

STEFANIK SPARS WITH HEAD OF TOP SCHOOL OVER FAILING GRADE ON ANTISEMITISM, STUNNING WHISTLEBLOWER CLAIM

In her letter to Republicans pitching herself for the role, Cammack suggested creating a Hispanic Outreach Task Force and a dedicated “rapid response operation” to help with communications conference-wide.

First-term Rep. Erin Houchin, R-Ind., pointed out her experience running a communications firm in her argument to Republican lawmakers.

Like Cammack, she also shared a vision for moving House GOP messaging past traditional routes.

“The role of Conference chair is not about being in the spotlight; it’s about amplifying our members’ voices and providing them the tools we need,” Houchin said. “As legacy media fades, I’ll carry forward President Trump’s approach of taking our message directly to the American people.”

Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Mich., currently House GOP Conference secretary, was the first to express interest in the House GOP Conference chair role after Stefanik’s then-rumored departure.

Unlike the other three confirmed competitors, McClain comes from a critical battleground district – something she pointed out in her memo to lawmakers.

“I hail from a blue state, one of the most critical battlegrounds for the presidency and our House majority. I understand what it takes to win tough races,” she said of her home state of Michigan.

STEFANIK GRILLS HARVARD PRESIDENT OVER STUDENTS CALLING FOR ‘INTIFADA,’ RAMPANT ANTISEMITISM ON CAMPUS

McClain has scored support from lawmakers across the House GOP, including Freedom Caucus member Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., senior House Armed Services Committee member Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., and Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., among others.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., a first-term lawmaker who has garnered a significant media following, told Fox News Digital she was considering a run for the No. 4 House GOP leadership spot.

“I haven’t ruled out running, many people are saying I should. Whoever it is, I believe it’s important [they support] President Trump from the very beginning,” she said.

Luna has been a staunch ally of President-elect Donald Trump and is a member of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus.

Rep. Blake Moore, R-Utah, currently serves as House GOP Conference vice chair – a job he won after House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., ascended to the top job after his successor’s ouster in late 2023.

A source close to Moore told Fox News Digital that he was considering a run for conference chair as of Monday, and that he was making calls to colleagues about the matter. 

Like Luna, he has not formally entered the race.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has invited Senators-elect Dave McCormick, the Republican from Pennsylvania, and Ruben Gallego, the Democrat from Arizona, to the new-senator orientation this week after previously saying they would not be permitted to participate.

“Ruben Gallego and David McCormick have been invited to attend orientation,” a spokesperson for Schumer told Fox News.

Schumer had initially resisted inviting McCormick to the orientation, claiming the Republican had not been declared the winner of his election. This was despite The Associated Press calling the race in his favor over three-term Democratic incumbent Sen. Bob Casey last Thursday. 

Gallego also had not received an invitation, but the AP did not call his race against Republican Kari Lake until Monday night. It was the final Senate race to be called, leaving the Republicans with a 53-47 majority.

GOP SENATOR OFFERS TO ‘PERSONALLY ESCORT’ MCCORMICK TO SENATE ORIENTATION AFTER SCHUMER HOLD

Gallego will replace Kyrsten Sinema, who left the Democratic Party two years ago. 

Casey still has not conceded in the Pennsylvania race. As of Tuesday morning, McCormick was leading Casey by 35,063 votes, according to the Pennsylvania elections results website. 

A Schumer spokesperson previously told Fox News Digital that McCormick was not invited because at the time there were still “over 100,000 ballots left to be counted” in Pennsylvania’s Senate race, claiming that the contest “has not been decided.” 

SCHUMER WON’T ALLOW DAVE MCCORMICK AT SENATE ORIENTATION, CITING OUTSTANDING PA BALLOTS

On Monday, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, offered to “personally escort” McCormick into the Capitol to attend the new-senator orientation, and Sens. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., and Katie Britt, R-Ala., agreed to join him, lambasting Schumer over the exclusion.

McCormick was leading by more than 30,000 votes when the AP called the race at 4:09 p.m. Thursday. Though there were an estimated 91,000 votes still outstanding at that time, the AP asserted that there were not enough in areas supporting Casey for him to make up the difference.

Fox News’ Julia Johnson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Calif., conceded his race to Democratic challenger George Whitesides on Tuesday as the final House races across the country start to get called.

Despite Garcia’s concession, the Associated Press has yet to call the race for Whitesides. As of Tuesday morning, Whitesides holds a 2-point lead with 83% of the vote counted. Whitesides’ lead is made up of roughly 7,000 votes.

“Since the age of 18 I have served this beautiful country,” Garcia said in a statement. “Representing the people of California’s 27th Congressional District the last 4.5 years has been an honor of a lifetime.”

Garcias went on to thank his family, staff and volunteers who worked on his campaign.

SHUTDOWN STANDOFF LOOMS IN CONGRESS’ FINAL WEEKS BEFORE TRUMP’S RETURN TO WHITE HOUSE

“I spoke with George Whitesides this evening to congratulate him, and I will ensure a smooth handoff of open constituent case work packages to him and his team,” Garcias added.

Whitesides accepted Garcia’s concession in a statement on social media after the pair spoke on the phone.

“Rep. Garcia called me earlier to concede the race, and I thanked him for his years of service to our district and to the nation,” Whitesides wrote. “In Congress, you can count on me to fight to create more good local jobs, lower everyday costs, build safe communities, protect Social Security and Medicare, and protect reproductive freedom.”

ALL EYES ON CALIFORNIA AS HOUSE MAJORITY STILL HINGES ON TIGHT RACES

Garcia’s race was one of over a dozen House races that have yet to be decided. Republicans currently hold 214 seats, just 4 wins away from controlling the chamber.

WHAT STEFANIK’S HOUSE TENURE REVEALS ABOUT WHAT TYPE OF UN AMBASSADOR SHE MAY BE

Many undeclared seats are in the western U.S. or in swing districts, including Arizona, Washington, Oregon, California, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, Louisiana, Ohio, Maryland, New York, Maine and Alaska.

The path to victory for a Democratic majority in the House is narrowing, with the party needing to sweep the most contested races to win power.

Fox News’ Chris Pandolfo and Sarah Rumpf Whitten contributed to this report.

Once Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., vacates her seat to become U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has 10 days to set the date for a special election to replace her in the House. 

The special election must be held within 70 to 80 days afterward, and there are already a number of possible contenders reportedly being considered to claim New York’s 21st Congressional District. 

Stefanik won a sixth term to represent the district which encompasses North County, New York, but President-elect Donald Trump chose her this week to fill the U.N. ambassadorship in his new cabinet. 

Republican names being floated include state Sen. Dan Stec, who represents portions of St. Lawrence County and other eastern regions of the state; state Assemblymen Robert Smullen and Christopher Tague; and Rensselaer County Executive Steven McLaughlin, according to WWNY. Possible Democratic candidates include Assemblyman Billy Jones, whose state district falls just east of St. Lawrence County, as well as past unsuccessful challengers to Stefanik such as Matt Castelli and Paula Collins.

Stefanik won 62.27% of the vote last week against Collins, who garnered just 37.73%, according to The Associated Press. 

WHAT STEFANIK’S HOUSE TENURE REVEALS ABOUT WHAT TYPE OF UN AMBASSADOR SHE MAY BE

Stefanik has built up a national profile as an unwavering ally of Trump and as a sharp-tongued Republican voice. First elected to Congress in 2014 at age 30, she eventually shed her early reputation as a moderate Republican and rose to become the highest-ranking woman in the House Republican leadership. Stefanik represents a largely rural northern New York district that includes some of the most sparsely populated parts of the state.

Democrats in New York unseated three first-term Republican incumbents in the U.S. House last Tuesday, as voters in the Empire State were expected to play an outsized role in helping determine control of the House. 

Stefanik was selected by her GOP House colleagues as House Republican Conference chair in 2021, when former Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney was removed from the post after publicly criticizing Trump following the 2020 election. 

There will also be a separate contest to replace Stefanik as the House Republican Conference chair. 

Stefanik’s grilling of university presidents over antisemitism on their campuses in the wake of the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks helped lead to two of those presidents resigning, further raising her national profile. If confirmed, she would represent American interests in the U.N. as Trump vows to end the war waged by Russia against Ukraine begun in 2022. He has also called for peace as the conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah continues.

STEFANIK TO REPORTEDLY MEET ISRAELI PRESIDENT AFTER TRUMP NAMES HER NEXT UN AMBASSADOR

Stefanik, who served as a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, the House Intelligence Committee, and the Education and Workforce Committee, released a statement Monday afternoon following her nomination to Trump’s cabinet. 

During a conversation with Trump, Stefanik said she shared “how deeply humbled I am to accept his nomination and that I look forward to earning the support of my colleagues in the United States Senate.” 

“President Trump’s historic landslide election has given hope to the American people and is a reminder that brighter days are ahead – both at home and abroad,” she said. “America continues to be the beacon of the world, but we expect and must demand that our friends and allies be strong partners in the peace we seek. The work ahead is immense as we see antisemitism skyrocketing coupled with four years of catastrophically weak U.S. leadership that significantly weakened our national security and diminished our standing in the eyes of both allies and adversaries.”  

The congresswoman said she stands ready to advance Trump’s “restoration of America First peace through strength leadership on the world stage on Day One at the United Nations” and thanked her “beloved constituents in New York’s 21st Congressional District for believing in me and giving me the opportunity to work my very hardest to serve and give them a voice at the highest levels of Congress.” 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

President-elect Donald Trump said his election victory “gives me a very big mandate to do things properly” in a newly released video by Indonesia’s president. 

Prabowo Subianto could be heard congratulating Trump, adding, “Wherever you are, I am willing to fly to, to congratulate you personally sir.” 

“We had a great election in the U.S…. Amazing what happened, we had tremendous success. The most successful in over 100 years they say. It’s a great honor and so it gives me a very big mandate to do things properly,” Trump told him at one point in the conversation. 

Subianto also told Trump, “We were all shocked when they tried to assassinate you, but we are very happy that the almighty protected you sir.” 

TRUMP EXPECTED TO NAME SEN. MARCO RUBIO AS SECRETARY OF STATE 

“Yes, I got very lucky. I just happened to be in the right place in the right direction otherwise I wouldn’t be talking to you right now,” Trump responded. “I got quite lucky actually, somebody was protecting me I guess.” 

Subianto, a former Indonesian military general and defense minister, was sworn in as the country’s eighth president on Oct. 20. 

TRUMP LIKELY TO MAKE SEVERAL BORDER SECURITY MOVES ON FIRST DAY, SAYS EXPERT 

“Whenever you are around you let me know and I’d like to also get to your country sometime, it’s incredible, the job that you are doing is incredible,” Trump told Subianto during the call. “You’re a very respected person and I give you credit for that, it’s not easy.” 

“Please send the people of Indonesia my regards,” he added. 

In a statement on X alongside the video, Subianto said, “I am looking forward to enhance the collaboration between our two great nations and to more productive discussions in the future.”

One week after Election Day, control of the House of Representatives is still up in the air with votes continuing to be counted in 17 House races.

Republican Donald Trump won the presidency again and the GOP will have the Senate majority. House Speaker Mike Johnson, however, is still waiting to learn whether he will get to keep his job and President-elect Trump will soon find out whether Republicans will have full control of the government to enact his agenda over the next two years (before the 2026 midterm elections).

Here’s where things stand with the uncalled House races: 

Democratic incumbent Rep. Mary Sattler Peltola is in a tight race in Alaska’s at-large congressional district, where she is trailing Republican entrepreneur Nick Begich.

As of Tuesday morning, Begich holds a 4-point lead at 49.5% of the vote compared to Peltola’s 45.5%. The vote count sits at 125,222 to 115,089, with roughly 80% of the vote counted.

ALL EYES ON CALIFORNIA AS HOUSE MAJORITY STILL HINGES ON TIGHT RACES

The race in Arizona’s 6th Congressional District is tight, with the Republican candidate narrowly ahead. 

Republican Rep. Juan Ciscomani, a first-term lawmaker, is barely leading former Democratic state lawmaker Kirsten Engel in a 49.5% to 48.2% race as of Tuesday morning. The vote count sits at 189,692 to 184,787 with 86% of votes counted.

Democratic incumbent Josh Harder leads Republican challenger Kevin Lincoln by fewer than 3 points.

The district had about 74% of the vote recorded as of Tuesday, and Harder’s lead expanded to 7,124 votes. 

Republican Rep. John Duarte is leading former Democratic state assembly member Adam Gray in California’s 13th Congressional District, but the highly contested race remains uncalled as of Tuesday.

Roughly 62% of the vote has been counted, and Duarte holds a 51.1% to 48.9% lead. The pair is separated by just under 3,000 votes.

Incumbent Democratic Rep. John Costa leads his Republican challenger, Michael Maher, in a 50.5% to 49.5% race as of Tuesday morning.

So far, 66% of the vote has been counted, and Costa’s lead is just over 1,000 votes.

Republican incumbent Rep. David Valado leads Democratic Challenger Rudy Salas in a 53.6% to 46.6% race as of Tuesday. Valado holds a lead of just under 10,000 votes with 77% of the vote counted.

Republican incumbent Rep. Mike Garcia is trailing Democratic challenger George Whitesides by about 2 points as of Tuesday morning.

With 83% of the votes counted, Whitesides’ lead sits at just under 7,000 votes.

Though the race has not been called, Garcia conceded in a statement Monday evening.

“I spoke with George Whitesides this evening to congratulate him, and I will ensure a smooth handoff of open constituent case work packages to him and his team,” Garcia said. 

Republican incumbent Rep. Ken Calvert holds a 51.3% to 48.7% lead over Democratic challenger Will Rollins. Roughly 75% of the vote has been counted as of Tuesday, and Calvert’s lead sits at roughly 7,500 votes.

Incumbent Republican Rep. Michelle Steel leads her Democratic challenger Derek Tran with 50.7% of the vote as of Tuesday. A little more than 83% of the votes have been counted, and Steel’s lead has shrunk to 3,908 votes.

The race to succeed outgoing Democratic Rep. Katie Porter in California’s 47th Congressional District is also razor-thin.

Republican Scott Baugh, a former state assembly member, and state Sen. Dave Min, a Democrat, are vying for the open seat, and Min holds a about a 1% lead.

Nearly 82% of the vote has been counted, and Min’s lead sits at just over 3,000 votes.

Democratic incumbent Rep. Mike Levin holds a 4-point lead over Republican challenger Matt Gunderson as of Tuesday morning.

With 82% of votes counted, Levin’s lead sits at roughly 14,000 votes.

SHUTDOWN STANDOFF LOOMS IN CONGRESS’ FINAL WEEKS BEFORE TRUMP’S RETURN TO WHITE HOUSE

Rep. Yadira Caraveo, a Democrat, is trailing Republican state Rep. Gabe Evans in Colorado’s 8th Congressional District by less than 1% with 96% of the vote counted.

Republican incumbent Rep. Mariannet Miller-Meeks holds a less than 1% lead over challenger Christina Bohannan with 99% of the vote counted. Miller-Meeks’ lead sits at just under 1,000 votes.

Democratic incumbent Jared Golden holds a razor-thin lead over Republican challenger Austin Theriault as of Tuesday.

With 98% of the votes counted, Golden’s lead sits at less than 800 votes.

GOP REP. MIKE WALTZ TAPPED TO BE TRUMP’S NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER

Democratic incumbent Marcy Kaptur leads her Republican challenger, Derek Merrin, by less than 1 point with 99% of the votes counted. Kaptur’s lead sits at just over 1,000 votes as of Tuesday.

Republican incumbent Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer is trailing her Democratic challenger, Janelle Bynum by nearly 3 points with 87% of the votes counted Tuesday.

Bynum’s lead sits at just over 10,000 votes.

Republican incumbent Rep. Dan Newhouse leads his top opponent, fellow Republican Jerrod Sessler, by about 5 points with 86% of the votes counted.

Newhouse’s lead sits at just over 13,000 votes as of Tuesday morning.

Because this undecided district is a contest between two Republicans, it has already been counted toward the GOP’s total.