So the midterm elections are over and we now know that at least for the next two years, the democrats will control the US House of Representatives and the republicans will maintain control of the US Senate. Overall, democratic candidates for Congress flipped 27 seats, when they only needed 23 to wrest control from the republicans. In the upper chamber, the republican majority gained at least 2 new seats, (with 3 still being too close to call) ensuring gridlock in the Nation’s Capital over many, if not most, major issues, but also securing support for most judicial appointees nominated by the President. The first battle of the 116^th Congress may well be an intra-party one the week after Thanksgiving when the democrats elect their leadership team. California Representative and former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi immediately after the victory announced her candidacy for Speaker and said she plans to serve in that capacity again when the session convenes on January 3, 2019. A group of younger progressive democrats however, have promised a fight for new leadership in the next session while the Black Congressional Caucus has asked that one of its members be appointed to the #2 post in the House, that of Majority Leader. Across the aisle, republican Representative Kevin McCarthy, also from California, will run for Minority Leader against Ohio conservative Representative Jim Jordan. Let’s look at some other results from the election . . .