House and Senate Republicans are gearing up for a tense series of closed-door

meetings this week as the GOP grapples with what went wrong in the
midterms  and decides the political fate of its current leaders, who are under
fire following last week’s disappointing election results.

With the balance of the House yet to be determined, but a razor-thin majority
looking likely, House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy is staring down a serious
revolt  from his right flank that could derail his speakership ambitions. Dozens
of hardliners are threatening to withhold their support for McCarthy unless he
gives in to their demands.

And in the Senate, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has been calling
his colleagues over the last several days to shore up his support as his team
plans to plow forward with leadership elections on Wednesday despite
grumbling by a faction of dissenters  who are trying to slam the brakes after
their midterm debacle. They are planning to have a GOP air-clearing session
on Tuesday.

McCarthy has also spent the past five days working the phones to solidify
support for his speakership bid, and he has spoken to former President Donald
Trump multiple times since last Tuesday, according to GOP sources. The
former president endorsed McCarthy for speaker the day before the midterm
elections – something his allies hope sway his conference’s staunchest Trump
supporters.

But Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona, a former chairman of the pro-Trump House
Freedom Caucus, is considering mounting a long-shot challenge to McCarthy
during the House GOP’s internal leadership elections on Tuesday, according to
GOP sources familiar with the matter. McCarthy’s team has been prepared for
this possibility. 

While McCarthy is not worried about any challengers and only needs a simple
majority during that vote to become the GOP’s speaker nominee – the real test
would come in January when he would need 218 votes on the floor – the likely
challenge from Biggs could expose how McCarthy is currently short of 218
votes and open up uncomfortable conversations about why an oft-promised
“red wave” never materialized.

After Democrats retained control of the Senate  – with the possibility of

picking up an additional seat in the Georgia runoff race in December –
McConnell is facing far more anger in his ranks than previous election cycles,
although he still has enough support to secure another term leading his
conference.

A small, but vocal, group of GOP senators has been calling to delay their
leadership elections so they can have a “family discussion” about why the
GOP underperformed. And at least one Republican, Sen. Josh Hawley of
Missouri, has publicly vowed to oppose McConnell’s bid for GOP leader.

Both McConnell and McCarthy are moving full steam ahead with their planned
leadership elections this week, and the Senate GOP will also meet Tuesday for
its weekly closed-door lunch, where the internal blame game is sure to heat up.

Florida Sen. Rick Scott, the chair of the National Republican Senatorial
Committee, is among those calling for a delay in the Senate leadership election
scheduled for Wednesday, saying it “doesn’t make any sense” to have them
this week.

Behind the scenes, the finger pointing has already begun, and those
conversations are likely to accelerate as the full House and Senate return to
Washington this week for the first time since the midterm elections.

Trump and his allies have tried to make McConnell the fall guy for the GOP’s
lackluster midterm performance, accusing McConnell of spending recklessly
in states where Republicans faced significant headwinds at the expense of
candidates in more competitive contests.

But others in the party have placed the blame squarely on Trump, whose hand-
picked candidates failed in key Senate races that determined control of the
Senate. Plus McConnell’s super PAC spent more than any other group in
Senate races – while Trump’s group spent a tiny fraction of that – a realty not
lost on the Kentucky Republican’s allies.

“There’s a very high correlation between MAGA candidates and big losses,”
said retiring Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Pat Toomey. “I think my party
needs to face the fact that if fealty to Donald Trump is the primary criteria for
selecting candidates, we’re probably not going to do really well.”