Dozens of Republican National Committee members want congressional Republicans to delay their leadership elections by at least 30 days, arguing that the party must reckon with its widespread midterm losses first.
“There is no way to sugarcoat what happened on Election Day. From coast to coast, and in some of the reddest parts of the country, Republicans were humiliated,” the 31 RNC members — from 21 states and two territories — wrote in a letter shared with POLITICO. Now is not the time, they argue, to “accept the status quo” — it’s time “do some serious soul-searching.”
“We … urge the House and Senate Republican Conferences to postpone leadership elections for at least 30 days to allow for an initial assessment of the November 3 losses, a substantive discussion of what went wrong, and an opportunity for leadership candidates to explain how they intend to address those failures,” the members write.
The House and Senate GOP are both set to hold elections Tuesday to decide their next slate of leaders, with candidate forums scheduled to begin this morning. A handful of senators, including Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), have also called for a delay following last week’s elections.
In the House, Speaker Mike Johnson will not take the top post again, leaving Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan to battle it out. John Thune is expected to be reelected as the No.1 GOP leader in the Senate.
While the elections appear likely to proceed as scheduled, the letter underscores the brewing discontent within the GOP following last week’s wipe out — including even among some of its most loyal members. Democrats won their largest majority in both chambers in decades and the Republican Party has a lot of work to do to resolve its divisions and overcome President Donald Trump’s unpopularity with voters.
“Rushing these elections before examining what happened risks protecting the very leaders whose decisions need to be examined,” the RNC members wrote. “Accountability must come before leadership elections.”
Amy Kremer, Georgia’s national committeeperson and one of the letter’s signatories, also pressed congressional Republicans to show what they intend to accomplish before choosing their next slate of leaders.
“The people who knock on doors, make the calls, and give their hard-earned money are owed more than business as usual. Before leadership asks for another two years in charge, show us what they intend to deliver in the lame-duck session,” she told POLITICO. “What is the plan to pass the SAVE America Act and move pending confirmations? Our voters deserve specifics and results.”
The RNC faces its own leadership fight after last week’s losses. KC Crosbie, the RNC co-chair, wrote in a letter to members last week that she has “decided to run for chair” of the committee, challenging the Trump-picked Joe Gruters. One day later, the president praised Gruters on his Truth Social, and said “I know he will do an incredible job in 2028.”
