USAupdated 55m ago2 min read
Archive photo · 11 July 2012Democrats Cement Control of Both US Congress Chambers as Katherine Clark Seeks House Majority Leader
7 Western Mainstream1 Other1 West AsianPhoto: Photograph by Mike Peel ( www.mikepeel.net )., CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cropped for layout
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Democrats secure majority in both the House and Senate in 2026 midterms. Katherine Clark announces bid to become House Majority Leader.
Save coverage image
Midterms shift Congress
Democrats cemented control of both chambers of US Congress in the 2026 midterm elections, and Katherine Clark said she will run to be the majority leader in the House next Congress.
“‘The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night.”
Clark wrote, "Today with pride in what we've achieved and confidence in what we will deliver, I ask for your support," and she said she would prioritize affordability by "ending the reckless war in Iran" and reversing Trump's tariffs.
Vice President JD Vance blamed the Republican defeat on the Iran war, writing, "The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night."
A BBC report said Washington's political circles were buzzing with speculation about a rift between President Trump and JD Vance after Vance's post, while a White House official told the BBC the White House was made aware of the post before it went out.
Vance, Trump, and war
JD Vance told supporters on X that the war was the reason Republicans lost, and he added, "If you’d like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so." The Guardian reported that Republican hopefuls in the race to succeed Donald Trump pointed to frustration over cost of living amid the fallout from Republican defeats, and Cruz said, "Tariffs have made everything too expensive and the Iran war has dragged on too long."
The BBC reported that a White House official said Trump "did not have any issues with it" and that Trump "backed it up" when asked by reporters during his remarks at the White House yesterday. The Al Jazeera account said Trump told reporters at the White House that the war with Iran was "largely true because it drove gasoline up a little bit," as oil prices dropped to $93.82 a barrel on expectations of reduced likelihood of renewed strikes.
Leadership fights and policy
House Democrats prepared to choose leadership for the next Congress, and ABC7 Bay Area reported that House Democrats will hold leadership elections on Nov. 18 with members voting behind closed doors.
“I do not want to spend the next two years in trials.”
ABC7 Bay Area said Jeffries needs 218 floor votes to receive the gavel in January, and Jeffries wrote, "I write to humbly request your support in connection with my candidacy to serve as the next Speaker of the House of Representatives," in a letter obtained by ABC News.
CBS News said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed to wrap Mr. Trump in "legislative razor wire," while Democratic Sen-elect Adam Hamilton told CBS News, "I do not want to spend the next two years in trials."
NBC News said Democrats clinched the Senate after romping to a majority in the House earlier in the night, and it said states such as Texas and Kansas elected Democrats to the Senate for the first time in decades.