The Stakeout

The Stakeout: Airing of Grievances

Igor Bobic, Oriana González — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 18:36:42 GMT

Tue, 10 Nov 2026 18:36:42 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/the-stakeout/airing-of-grievances

The Senate Republicans' meeting in the Old Senate Chamber this morning to reelect John Thune as leader turned into a postelection Festivus. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

Good afternoon. Republicans struggle to choose their fighters, Hegseth may need to watch his back, Husted fans have been watching his backside. Plus: How to pick the best office. Also, Senate bean soup.

We want your tips: Email Igor and Oriana. You can also reach us on Signal: igorbobic.05 and origonz.29.

FESTIVUS COME EARLY

Senate Republicans are spending Tuesday airing a lot of grievances about their huge face-plant in last week’s midterm elections. Their meeting in the Old Senate Chamber this morning to reelect John Thune as leader turned into a postelection Festivus, with several conservatives Big Mad about their losses but no one standing up to actually challenge Thune. (What is this, the Democrats?) And there will be even more venting this afternoon.

“The same people will be elected. No one is arguing that these people need to be gone. It's just the same churning and cleansing of their souls,” one Senate Republican told The Sun’s Al Weaver.

Meanwhile, in the House, Republicans will soon vote via secret ballot on their minority leadership. The vibes going into it is that the Steve Scalise vs. Jim Jordan brawl is going to be a difficult decision for the conference.

Still, those in leadership currently running for spots in the minority will face an uphill battle as they try to answer why the election went so badly while they were at the helm.

“Some people very much want to throw everything out, right? To start over, because you're in leadership, you didn't figure this out, you didn't read the cards right,” Rich McCormick said. He refused to reveal who he is backing.

One House Republican who is supporting Jordan told us: “We just had a historic 50-year loss, a lot of that driven by what type of legislation was on the floor. Who controls that? That’s the [majority] leader.”

After speeches were done, Scalise told reporters: “Every district we went to, people loved no tax on overtime and tips, seniors loved the tax credit. So, in terms of the things we did, border security, every district you went to, people loved the fact that we secured the border. They're about to see something different. Democrats haven't proposed anything on affordability.”

The Sun’s Reese Gorman reports that Jordan’s camp is saying the congressman has over 100 votes behind him, but a source with Scalise’s team finds that laughable.

“I’ll take our vote-counting operations over his any day of the week,” the source said.

Paul Kane’s corner: Congressional history-knower PK sends in the following note: No matter who they pick, Republicans are going back to their future. Jordan entered office almost 20 years ago on John Boehner’s first day as Republican leader, and Scalise came along in early 2008 after winning a special election.

Reminder: If you lost your race, you can’t vote for leadership, but if your race hasn’t been called, your vote will be counted.

“We can have the Qdoba burrito bowls and listen to the speeches, but they won’t hand you a ballot,” Thomas Massie said.

BYE-BYE HEGSETH?

Speaking of Massie, the House will vote this evening on whether to advance his effort to impeach Pete Hegseth — and Massie’s feeling pretty confident about its chances.

Massie told us the probability of Republicans supporting his measure to oust the defense secretary “increased, and not just because the retirement caucus membership swelled on Nov. 3, but because I think people felt their political mortality.”

In an email reviewed by Reese, Massie’s office urged lawmakers to vote “no” on a motion to table or a motion to refer. If there is a motion to refer, Massie will move to split the question into eight separate votes for each article of impeachment.

Outgoing members might also want to consider future job opportunities. “A vote to impeach Hegseth might be necessary to preserve their lobbying prospects,” Massie added.

If the measure succeeds, Senate Republicans face a choice whether to hold an impeachment trial in the middle of a busy lame duck session. Joni Ernst did not rule out voting to impeach Hegseth on Tuesday.

“I question whether the information that is coming through the secretary out of the Pentagon has been accurate and the way he is portraying the war to the president,” Ernst told us. “If there is deception coming from our Pentagon and being transmitted to the president, I would want to know that.”

John Cornyn, meanwhile, doesn’t see what all the fuss is about.

“I never really understood why people had their knives out for him so much. I don't think there's any reason for impeachment,” he said, per The Sun’s Ellie Fivas.

THE MAIN EVENT

Listen up, newbies: You have to start thinking about your office space ahead of Thursday’s lottery, so we asked current lawmakers to offer some we-learned-the-hard-way advice.

Consider your staff needs: needing more room for desks, having a snacks area, looking for meeting spaces, etc. If you get stuck with a Longworth office, bring a cat because there are mice. Remember that, yes, Cannon now has all the new nice offices, but they’re also the furthest from the floor. Rayburn has one of the most coveted offices because it’s close to the floor and committee hearing rooms, but it’s due for renovations, so you may have a great space that you then have to vacate.

And check who had your office before you.

“I was one of the last picks,” Sam Liccardo told us of his lottery experience. “Good news: I still got an office with an outside window. Bad news: It previously belonged to George Santos. My advice: bring materials necessary for purification rituals, including but not limited to shamanic extractions and exorcisms (for all who celebrate).”

And also listen up, outgoing House members: Some of you have to vacate your office as soon as this weekend, according to Max Miller.

It’s “demoralizing,” Miller told The Sun’s Kadia Goba. “People should be treated better than that. This job takes a lot from us.”

Even former members were surprised.

“That is super fast. We had until the first week of December. Although the AOC did bug us regularly to move things along,” Susan Wild texted Kadia.

SPEAKER BATTLES

Intrigue of the day: Gregory Meeks is hosting a members-only meeting on the speaker nomination today, according to an email viewed by Kadia. We assume to shore up support for Hakeem Jeffries. Let us know what you are hearing.

ASS WATCH

The Republican side of the Senate aisle was all abuzz last night about one thing. No, it wasn't the vote on permitting reform. It was about Jon Husted's ass.

From the gallery, we overheard multiple Republican senators teasing their Ohio colleague on the Senate floor about the president of the United States obsessing over his rear end in front of the whole world. Alan Armstrong even snuck a peek at the famous "pile of muscle" at one point.

"You should have seen it when I was in my prime," the outgoing Husted told a colleague at one point.

Deb Fischer seemed to approve of his new status as top Senate hottie, at least according to Trump.

"Hey, we're not dead yet," she remarked.

A QUIET PLACE

What does John Fetterman have to say about the electoral backlash to the Iran war, including in his home state of Pennsylvania? Nothing, apparently. The staunch Democratic supporter of the war was silent and ignored all our questions on Monday night.

Prior to the election, Democrats feared Fetterman might change parties and deny them a majority in the event of a narrowly controlled chamber. Not so anymore.

“Democrats’ margin is so big that he becomes totally irrelevant, not just for control of the chamber, but even for things like passing a reconciliation bill,” Adam Jentleson, Fetterman’s former chief of staff, told us.

“He’s basically bankrupt. Oh, and he’s no longer useful to Republicans, either,” he added.

2028 STARTS NOW

First on The Stakeout: Elijah Manley, who placed third in the FL-20 Democratic primary, is planning a comeback bid against Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who now represents the historically Black district.

She won the crowded primary with 45% of the vote, so Manley sees an opening — if no one else runs.

“I think it’ll be a consolidated fill,” Manley told us. “You can’t have a field of five, 10 people running against somebody like Debbie because that is how she thrives.”

“In 2028, having to face a head-on challenge from somebody younger than her who can also match her when it comes to fundraising power is, I think, going to be extremely helpful, and there are not any other candidates that can do that right now,” he added.

GEN X HAS THE JUICE

There’s been a lot of chatter about the (cringey) millennial takeover in Congress, but in reality, Gen X will be the largest generation in Congress come January, The Sun’s Andrew Van Dam reports.

Worry not, this newsletter is written by a millennial and a Gen Zer. Guess which one and email us.

SOUP OF THE DAY

Senate bean soup.

Thank you for reading! Today’s newsletter was produced by Kate Nocera, Deirdre Walsh, Jonann Brady and Alina Kim. If you liked it, please forward it to a friend. If someone shared it with you, please sign up — it’s free! Got a tip or comments to share? Email us at newsletters@washsun.com.]]>

The Stakeout: We Are So Back

Igor Bobic, Oriana González — Mon, 09 Nov 2026 19:10:15 GMT

Mon, 09 Nov 2026 19:10:15 GMT https://www.washingtonsun.com/newsletters/the-stakeout-november-9

Some Dems are holding out hope for a challenger to Sen. Chuck Schumer for the top job. But one Senate Dem aide said “Schumer is going to be leader. Need to move on from this.” (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

Congress is BACK, baby! We’ve got leader drama (as dramatic as Chris Van Hollen gets anyway), an exclusive with Abdul El-Sayed, and more on the stages of grief among House Republicans. Also, Senate bean soup.

We want your tips: email Igor and Oriana. You can also reach us on Signal: igorbobic.05 and origonz.29.

LEADERSHIP HICCUPS

Chuck Schumer’s detractors are still holding out hope someone else in the extremely nonconfrontational Senate Democratic Caucus challenges him for the top job. That could be Chris Van Hollen, the progressive heartthrob who is also looking at a 2028 presidential run.

A person familiar with the senator’s thinking told us that after an outpouring of calls, “including conversations with his colleagues,” Van Hollen is “in active listening mode” on a leadership bid.

“The door is not shut,” they added.

Nobody seriously expects Schumer to lose after Democrats’ huge gains last week, but a leadership challenge could give Van Hollen more lefty cred in the crowded Democratic presidential primary.

Said one Senate Dem aide to The Sun’s Stephen Neukam: “Schumer is going to be leader. Need to move on from this.”

Over in the House, multiple new House Democrats — Melat Kiros, LaKesha Womack, Katy Padilla Stout, Darializa Avila Chevalier and more — won’t commit to backing Hakeem Jeffries as speaker. Jeffries launched his speakership campaign with a promise Democrats would “try to find bipartisan common ground” to address affordability — and people already hate that approach.

“We won a massive majority and to already be talking about the need for bipartisanship when Republicans never do that, I think is incredibly out of touch with what the American people are expecting from us right now,” Kiros told us.

Does that mean that Jeffries won’t win? Probably not, particularly because no one else wants the job. Jeffries has gotten all Democrats to vote for him when he’s been nominated on the floor before (granted, in Republican majorities), so it says a lot that there might be people who abstain or potentially vote for someone else.

Meanwhile, a group of Senate Republicans is hoping to make John Thune sweat a little before he is reelected leader, pushing to delay Tuesday’s election until they can discuss what the hell just happened.

“A week ago, we had the worst election results in decades,” Dave McCormick wrote on X. “We need a discussion about what went wrong, how we fix it, what we stand for, and how our agenda must focus on the concerns of the American people.”

The only real nail-biter? The Steve Scalise vs. Jim Jordan wrestling match for who leads the teeny tiny Republican House minority. Even President Donald Trump isn’t touching that one.

And Scalise be whippin’: The Louisiana Republican held one-on-one meetings with incoming freshmen in his office on Sunday, sources told The Sun’s Reese Gorman.

LIBBIN’ OUT

How many things do Democrats want Trump to veto next year? It's a hot debate on the left right now.

In an exclusive interview with The Stakeout, Abdul El-Sayed told us Democrats should be as aggressive as possible and force Trump vetoes, including on a Medicare for All bill.

“There's really not a limit to the things that we can do if we're willing to work hard and we're willing to drive our goals. We have, you know, God willing, a 56-seat majority, and I think we need to use it,” said the Michigan senator-elect.

Even though he won’t be sworn in until January, El-Sayed wants Democrats to use the Dec. 11 government funding deadline to avert Medicaid cuts kicking in at the end of year. “It would allay a tremendous amount of damage, and I don't think we should miss any bites at the apple,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mark Kelly floated another hardball tactic at this weekend’s libbed-out Crooked Media party: cutting off funding for White House operations to pressure Trump to end the Iran war.

"That's always the big hammer you can use against the president," Kelly told us on the sidelines of the conference, which doubled as the first post-midterm 2028 kickoff event.

HOUSING CZAR

We hear that Lois Frankel, the 78-year-old Floridian, is making calls to new members — not to talk politics but to talk about real estate.

“Frankel is everyone in Congress' Jewish mother, and she is the mayor of the building that we affectionately call ‘the Dorms,’ and she does help connect people to housing there who want it,” Sara Jacobs told The Sun’s Kadia Goba.

Incoming freshman Dan Koh said Frankel has sent him listings for apartments he’s considering.

“She's just like, ‘Hey, I'm here. You let me know what you need.’ It's just really helpful to have people like her reach out and offer help on any question all the way down to where you want to live.”

Frankel was unavailable for comment.

STAGES OF GRIEF

Republican members are working through the grieving stages as they head back to Washington. The group chats have yet to regain their usual banter, and no one is cracking jokes as the reality of their new political circumstances is starting to sink in. For now, as one member told Kadia, the sentiment is “mostly relief” that the elections are over.

“The freshmen members are less excited than normal freshman classes,” a senior Republican told Kadia. “They aren’t as giddy.” That member said they were personally feeling “blah for five days. I’m over it now.”

There are 78 new House Democrats coming in and, well, 31 new Republicans so far. The Dem mood is, uh, slightly more upbeat.

LOOMING DRAMA

It’ll be a historic week: The House may finally vote to declare war. No, not against Iran. Against Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

Thomas Massie told The Sun’s Joe Gould that a vote could come as early as tonight, but possibly in the next few days.

House and Senate Republicans are scheduled to hold leadership elections on Tuesday.

But first, the Senate has more regular business: It will hold a vote to advance permitting reform at 5:30 p.m. Advocates made changes to the bill over the weekend to win support.

WHY?

https://x.com/ReporterOriana/status/2119845190126932353?s=20

SOUP OF THE DAY

Senate bean soup.

Thank you for reading! Today’s newsletter was produced by Kate Nocera, Deirdre Walsh, Jonann Brady and Dianna Heitz. If you liked it, please forward it to a friend. If someone shared it with you, please sign up — it’s free! Got a tip or comments to share? Email us at newsletters@washsun.com.]]>