One More Week! What Happens Next?

With six days until Election Day (and almost 40 million Americans having already voted), the 2026 election is almost upon us.  Candidates and campaigns are desperately trying to reach as many voters as possible, while delicately navigating anything that could bring unwelcome political risk before Election Day. 

Once the election is over and campaigns officially end, activity does not slow down…it actually ramps up in the halls of Congress.  Here is what to expect after the election:  

More Messaging:  Messaging doesn’t stop when the campaign ends; it’s just different.  Both parties will position their messaging to help explain the election - what went right? What went wrong? Who is to blame? It will be a bit of a competition on who can get their party’s message out first in an effort to control the narrative.  

New Member Orientation: New policymakers need to learn how to work in Congress and will go through a series of sessions to learn about everything from the operations of a congressional office to legislative procedure.  

Leadership Elections: November will bring leadership elections for House and Senate leadership in the 120th Congress.  Some campaigning has already been happening behind the scenes, but leadership elections are as political as any election; candidates will be working hard to secure the support of their colleagues early and, given the behind-the-scenes nature of these leadership campaigns, they often bring last-minute surprises.  The election for Speaker, who is elected by the entire House (not just his or her party), will happen on the first day of the 120th Congress.  

Building a Rules Package:  One of the more unknown factors of every new Congress is the new majority’s rules package - a collection of changes to the House Rules to adjust how the House operates as both an institution and a legislative body.  It’s a big advantage for the majority party as they can (and will) build the rules in a way that best serves them and their goals for Congress.

Committee Assignment Shuffle: Both parties on both sides of the Capitol have the unenviable position of deciding who is in what committee. This starts with committee leadership (chairs and ranking members of the full committee and subcommittees) and then flows down to the rest of rank-and-file members.  This doesn’t happen overnight and can take much of the first month to work out.  

Do not expect a slowdown after the election!  Lots of activity is just around the corner, which will help shape the 120th Congress.