Today on the Hill: Congress Leaves for Memorial Day Recess; GOP Wins MT Special Election

Both the House and Senate have completed their legislative business for the week and neither chamber is expected to convene again until after the Memorial Day recess. When the lower chamber returns, they will be joined by their newest member, Greg Gianforte, who won a special election for Montana’s at-large congressional seat last night. The election was held due to former Representative Ryan Zinke’s nomination to be Secretary of the Interior, and most observers expected for Republicans to hold on to the seat. However, a late controversy involving Gianforte physically assaulting a reporter gave Democratic challenger Rob Quist hope to pull off an upset in the deeply Republican state. Gianforte’s win – albeit by a relatively slim margin of six points – will give Republicans a sigh of relief as they look forward to the 2018 midterm elections. The next scheduled special election, set for June 20, is expected to be the most competitive; Republican Karen Handel and Democrat Jon Ossoff are locked in a close contest to replace Tom Price in Georgia’s 6^th congressional district.

The Senate is expected to return on Monday, June 5, while the House is scheduled to reconvene the following day.