House Democrats are bracing for a contentious battle over the speaker’s gavel. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) — the presumed favorite for the speakership in the 116^th Congress — is facing pushback from a host of incumbent and incoming Democrats who say they have the votes to block her path to victory. While both sides jostle for support behind the scenes, a potential challenger to Leader Pelosi has emerged in former Congressional Black Caucus chairwoman Rep. Marcia Fudge (D-OH) who indicated that she would be interested after other members encouraged her to run. The House Democratic caucus is expected to vote on its leadership slate on November 29, with a final vote on the House Floor in January after the new Congress gavels in.

House Republicans are set to hold leadership elections for the next Congress today. GOP lawmakers are expected to elect Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to be Minority Leader for the 116^th Congress, despite a challenge from Freedom Caucus co-founder Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH). In hopes of quelling an intraparty feud, reports suggest that President Trump has privately urged Rep. McCarthy to cut a deal with Rep. Jordan, fueling speculation that the conservative Ohio lawmaker may be elevated to the top GOP job on the House Judiciary Committee. The Republican Conference is also expected to elect: (1) Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) as Minority Whip; (2) Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) as Conference Chairwoman; (3) Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN) as National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) Chairman; (4) Rep. Mark Walker (R-NC) as Conference Vice Chairman; and (5) Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO) as Conference Secretary.

House and Senate lawmakers will return to Washington today to begin the “lame duck” session of Congress. As lawmakers seek to clear the seven outstanding appropriations bills, Congress faces a distinct possibility of a post-election showdown over border wall funding. If lawmakers are unable to reach a deal, another continuing resolution (CR) will likely be required to fund the government into early next year. Meanwhile, other items on the lame duck agenda include a farm bill and flood insurance package — both of which are set to expire before the end of the year — along with more targeted action to address issues including criminal justice reform or the Medicare prescription drug “donut hole” reimbursement issue.

Riding a wave of unprecedented political engagement in a midterm election, Democrats have regained control of the House of Representatives for the first time since 2010. The 2018 midterms will send one of the largest classes of freshman Members to Washington in recent history — replacing a cadre of centrist, suburban Republicans with establishment-backed Democrats that could grow the party’s moderate coalition. Meanwhile, an upstart group of unabashedly progressive candidates will be sworn in alongside as many as 15 new members of the GOP’s hardline Freedom Caucus, further fueling a dynamic that has sewn internal fissures into each of the major parties. The 2018 midterms marks the fourth straight midterm election (2006, 2010, 2014, 2018) with at least one chamber of Congress flipping.

Candidates in both parties are gearing up for an historic midterm election as voters will head to the polls and cast their ballots today. The 2018 midterms are widely viewed as a referendum on President Trump’s first two years in office — a dynamic that provides opportunities and challenges for both parties.