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Niels Lesniewski

The Latest From Niels Lesniewski
The Capitol will be busy with confirmation hearings ahead of Inaugration Day.

Cabinet confirmation hearings dominate agenda as immigration bills move along

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted January 13, 2025 at 5:39am

Immigration politics hit the Hill

By Niels Lesniewski, Daniela Altimari and Mary Ellen McIntire
Posted January 9, 2025 at 2:28pm
New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand raises her right hand during her ceremonial swearing-in in the Old Senate Chamber on Friday.

Kirsten Gillibrand gets Schumer’s nod to lead DSCC

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted January 6, 2025 at 9:24am, Updated at 12:35pm
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., swears in the members of the 119th Congress in the House chamber on Jan. 3. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Solemn ceremonies dominate this week on Capitol Hill

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted January 6, 2025 at 5:25am
The moon rises over the U.S. Capitol dome as an airplane lands at nearby National Airport in October.

Key dates to watch in 2025 for the 119th Congress

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted January 3, 2025 at 6:00am
North Carolina Rep.-elect Tim Moore is among several newcomers to Capitol Hill with notable political experience.

Experience abounds among newcomers to House and Senate

By Niels Lesniewski and Andrew Menezes
Posted January 3, 2025 at 5:00am
Vice President Kamala Harris and Speaker Mike Johnson converse before the start of President Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address to a joint session of Congress in the Capitol on March 7 last year.

Speaker fight could overshadow awkward days for Harris after losing to Trump

By John T. Bennett and Niels Lesniewski
Posted January 2, 2025 at 4:19pm
New York Rep. Mike Lawler attends a campaign rally in Congers, N.Y., in October 2024.

Roll Call’s top stories of 2024 from the campaign trail and beyond

By Mary Ellen McIntire, Daniela Altimari, John T. Bennett and Niels Lesniewski
Posted December 31, 2024 at 6:00am
President Jimmy Carter, with Vice President Walter Mondale, above left, and Speaker Thomas Phillip “Tip” O'Neill, is seen at a State of the Union address.

Jimmy Carter, whose presidency was marked by a complicated relationship with Congress, dies at age 100

By Niels Lesniewski and John T. Bennett
Posted December 29, 2024 at 5:27pm

Deck the House with boughs of chaos

By Mary Ellen McIntire, Daniela Altimari and Niels Lesniewski
Posted December 19, 2024 at 2:47pm
Virginia Rep. Rep. Jennifer Wexton, D-Va., seen here at a news conference in Washington in 2020, is retiring after being diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy.

Wexton delivers historic final House speech with assistive device

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted December 18, 2024 at 8:58am
Sen. Joe Manchin III, I-W.Va., left, who retired this year, and Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., who lost reelection, have been among the senators offering farewell remarks in recent weeks.

So long, farewell: Departing senators say goodbye to speaking from the floor

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted December 16, 2024 at 10:30am
Senate Agriculture Committee ranking member John Boozman, R-Ark., is among he key players in year-end talks.

Endgame not yet clear as lawmakers await CR

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted December 16, 2024 at 5:45am

At the Races: The truth about trifectas

By Daniela Altimari, Mary Ellen McIntire and Niels Lesniewski
Posted December 12, 2024 at 2:39pm
Kari Lake, former Republican Senate candidate from Arizona, is Trump's pick to lead the Voice of America.

Kari Lake to lead Voice of America, Trump says

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted December 12, 2024 at 4:50am

At the Races: Full House

By Niels Lesniewski, Mary Ellen McIntire and Daniela Altimari
Posted December 5, 2024 at 2:30pm
The House will be in session for four straight weeks next spring, according to the newly released 2025 calendar. (Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call file photo)

House calendar for 2025 eyes a busy spring

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted December 4, 2024 at 10:56am
Rep. John Duarte, R-Calif., lost his reelection bid in the final 2024 House race to be decided.

Final election results show House Democrats gained a net of one seat

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted December 4, 2024 at 6:01am
A worker clears leaves from the sidewalk along Constitution Avenue in front of the Russell Senate Office Building on Monday ahead of Congress' return.

In final month of the session, Congress looks to clean up loose ends, prepare for Trump

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted December 2, 2024 at 10:05am

At the Races: DNC, or the Democrats’ Next Campaign

By Mary Ellen McIntire, Daniela Altimari and Niels Lesniewski
Posted November 21, 2024 at 4:00pm

At the Races: The Leftovers

By Daniela Altimari, Mary Ellen McIntire and Niels Lesniewski
Posted November 14, 2024 at 3:30pm
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis would appoint a new senator and set a House special election date.

West Wing-driven House, Senate vacancies spotlight special elections

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted November 13, 2024 at 11:44am, Updated at 7:41pm
Sen. Edward M. Kennedy's dog Splash was a regular on Capitol Hill.

A dog’s congressional life: Babydog to Dakota, Deco to Splash and more

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted November 13, 2024 at 11:24am, Updated at 1:56pm
Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., seen here at the Republican National Convention, will be nominated to be UN ambassador.

Trump launches transition with nomination blitz

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted November 12, 2024 at 8:07am
Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., is among the candidates for majority leader.

Senate, House Republicans gear up for internal elections this week

By Niels Lesniewski and Mary Ellen McIntire
Posted November 12, 2024 at 7:58am, Updated at 4:27pm

At the Races: The big sort

By Mary Ellen McIntire, Daniela Altimari and Niels Lesniewski
Posted November 7, 2024 at 2:35pm

At the Races Special Edition: Known knowns, and known unknowns

By Niels Lesniewski, Mary Ellen McIntire and Daniela Altimari
Posted November 6, 2024 at 11:29am
The AP predicts that Bernie Moreno, Republican U.S. Senate candidate from Ohio, will defeat Democrat Sherrod Brown, putting the GOP in a prime position to claim the majority in the next Congress.

Republicans claim Senate majority outright

By Niels Lesniewski and Mary Ellen McIntire
Posted November 5, 2024 at 11:47pm, Updated November 6, 2024 at 12:20am
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice and his English bulldog, Babydog, are among those heading to the Senate.

A glide-path caucus of new senators with enhanced statures

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted November 5, 2024 at 9:01pm

At the Races: Closing time

By Daniela Altimari, Mary Ellen McIntire and Niels Lesniewski
Posted October 31, 2024 at 3:45pm
Comedian Tony Hinchcliffe speaks at a rally for former president Donald Trump on Sunday at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Republicans disavow comedian who called Puerto Rico ‘island of garbage’ at Trump rally

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted October 28, 2024 at 5:51am

At the Races: And then there were two

By Daniela Altimari, Mary Ellen McIntire and Niels Lesniewski
Posted October 24, 2024 at 3:45pm

At the Races: Money comin’, money goin’

By Niels Lesniewski, Daniela Altimari and Mary Ellen McIntire
Posted October 17, 2024 at 4:00pm
Eugene Vindman high-fives a supporter in Stafford, Va., on Sept. 20. The Democratic candidate reported an eye-popping fundraising haul in the third quarter.

Dems dominate in fundraising for key House contests

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted October 17, 2024 at 12:08pm
South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, pictured speaking at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 15, could be the next chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Tim Scott in line to chair Senate campaign arm for 2026 cycle

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted October 15, 2024 at 2:59pm

At the Races: Weary of the storm

By Mary Ellen McIntire, Daniela Altimari and Niels Lesniewski
Posted October 10, 2024 at 4:00pm
Vice President Kamala Harris and former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., arrive for a campaign event at Ripon College in Wisconsin on Thursday.

Calling Trump ‘petty’ and ‘vindictive,’ Liz Cheney makes conservative case for Harris

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted October 4, 2024 at 5:39am

At the Races: Please bet responsibly

By Niels Lesniewski, Mary Ellen McIntire and Daniela Altimari
Posted October 3, 2024 at 3:00pm
Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio (left), speaks with Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., after their vice presidential debate on Tuesday in New York City. This is expected to be the only vice presidential debate of the 2024 general election.

Vance’s attempt to rewrite Trump’s Obamacare history

By Niels Lesniewski and Lia DeGroot
Posted October 2, 2024 at 8:39am
Vice President Kamala Harris, Democratic presidential nominee, is expected to give a speech on border security Friday.

Harris campaign seeks to turn tables on Trump on border security

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted September 27, 2024 at 7:33am

At the Races: Expanding states of play

By Daniela Altimari, Mary Ellen McIntire and Niels Lesniewski
Posted September 26, 2024 at 3:00pm

At the Races: Making an Empire statement

By Mary Ellen McIntire, Niels Lesniewski and Daniela Altimari
Posted September 19, 2024 at 2:30pm

At the Races: Recapping the season

By Daniela Altimari, Mary Ellen McIntire and Niels Lesniewski
Posted September 12, 2024 at 3:00pm
"Democrats support a CR to keep the government open," Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., wrote on Sunday.

Fall Legislative Preview: Congress returns for busy fall session

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted September 9, 2024 at 6:30am

At the Races: Number crunch

By Niels Lesniewski, Daniela Altimari and Mary Ellen McIntire
Posted September 5, 2024 at 2:30pm
President Joe Biden speaks at the kickoff event of the Investing in America content series in the South Court Auditorium of the White House on Sept. 3, 2024.

Biden signals more robust campaign schedule as Trump-Harris race heats up

By Niels Lesniewski and John T. Bennett
Posted September 3, 2024 at 5:46am, Updated at 3:44pm

At the Races: Can ‘joy’ give Democrats the House gavel?

By Mary Ellen McIntire, Daniela Altimari and Niels Lesniewski
Posted August 22, 2024 at 2:30pm
Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., walks through the Capitol basement on Sept. 12, 2023 after calling Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., “out of compliance" with an agreement he made with members of the Republican conference to win the speakership. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

Gaetz wins Florida primary easily, Scott to face Mucarsel-Powell

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted August 20, 2024 at 8:39pm
President Joe Biden, center, and Vice President Kamala Harris, second from left, appear with their families after Biden addressed the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago on Monday.

Democrats cram opening night with tributes, contrasts with Trump

By Jason Dick and Niels Lesniewski
Posted August 20, 2024 at 5:28am
Vice President Kamala Harris is set to announce economic policy proposals Friday.

Harris to propose tax cuts for newborns, funds for first-time homebuyers

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted August 16, 2024 at 7:00am
Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., speaks at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on July 17.

Challenge to Gaetz among races to watch in Florida primaries

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted August 16, 2024 at 5:32am

At the Races: Crypto campaigning

By Daniela Altimari, Mary Ellen McIntire and Niels Lesniewski
Posted August 15, 2024 at 2:30pm
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, left, appears with his former chief of staff George Helmy in a photo distributed in September 2023, when he announced Helmy's departure from that position.

Murphy to appoint George Helmy to replace Menendez in Senate

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted August 14, 2024 at 11:37pm

At the Races: Don’t forget the Motor City (counts votes slowly)

By Niels Lesniewski, Daniela Altimari and Mary Ellen McIntire
Posted August 8, 2024 at 2:30pm
Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., leaves a meeting of the House Republican Conference at the Capitol Hill Club on Dec. 1, 2021.

Newhouse beaten by Trump-backed challenger in Washington primary

By Daniela Altimari and Niels Lesniewski
Posted August 7, 2024 at 9:58am, Updated at 8:50pm
Gov. Tim Walz, D-Minn., prepares to testify at a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing in the Capitol Visitor Center on Feb. 7, 2019.

Minnesota Gov. Walz brings rural, military background to Harris ticket

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted August 6, 2024 at 9:06am, Updated at 10:52am

At the Races: Meanwhile, on the House battlefield

By Herb Jackson, Mary Ellen McIntire, Niels Lesniewski and Daniela Altimari
Posted August 1, 2024 at 2:30pm
Kari Lake, seen here at the Republican National Convention earlier this month, prevailed in the GOP Senate primary in Arizona on Tuesday.

Lake-Gallego Senate contest set in Arizona; key House races up in the air

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted July 31, 2024 at 6:10am
President Joe Biden is endorsing term limits for Supreme Court justices.

Biden to call for Supreme Court term limits, new ethics code

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted July 29, 2024 at 5:30am
Six Democrats are vying for the nomination to take on Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., on Tuesday.

5 races to watch in Arizona’s primary on Tuesday

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted July 26, 2024 at 1:25pm, Updated July 29, 2024 at 10:41am

At the Races: High-profile races aside, women candidates decline

By Daniela Altimari, Mary Ellen McIntire and Niels Lesniewski
Posted July 25, 2024 at 2:30pm, Updated at 3:07pm

At the Races: New guy on the ticket

By Niels Lesniewski, Daniela Altimari and Mary Ellen McIntire
Posted July 18, 2024 at 2:30pm, Updated at 3:07pm
President Joe Biden visits Mario's Westside Market grocery store alongside Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., in Las Vegas on Tuesday.

Biden counters RNC with rent caps, land sales, bridge funds

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted July 17, 2024 at 11:28am
An Iowa delegate's handwritten addition to a Trump campaign sign is visible as Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, arrives on the floor of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee ahead of his nomination to be the party's vice presidential candidate.

Running mate Vance is ardent Trump backer with brief Hill tenure

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted July 15, 2024 at 3:44pm, Updated at 5:43pm
President Joe Biden delivers a nationally televised address from the Oval Office of the White House on Sunday about the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally on Saturday.

Biden condemns attempted Trump assassination, calls for ‘unity’

By Herb Jackson and Niels Lesniewski
Posted July 14, 2024 at 3:02pm, Updated at 8:24pm

At the Races: Drip, drip, drip

By Mary Ellen McIntire, Niels Lesniewski and Daniela Altimari
Posted July 11, 2024 at 2:30pm
Kari Lake, a Republican Senate candidate in Arizona, is among those highlighting Wednesday's House vote.

Campaigns seize on House-passed bill to require proof of citizenship to vote

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted July 11, 2024 at 10:36am
Utah Republican Rep. Celeste Maloy who was sworn in in November, faces a primary recount.

Maloy’s slim lead in Utah House race heading to recount

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted July 10, 2024 at 7:54am
President Joe Biden makes his way to Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on May 29, 2024.

Amid heightened post-debate scrutiny, Biden hosts NATO leaders

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted July 8, 2024 at 11:05am, Updated at 2:46am
Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Pérez, D-Wash., is seen here in the office of Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, to discuss the Blue Dog agenda in 2023.

Vulnerable Blue Dogs predict Trump victory over Biden

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted July 3, 2024 at 11:12am
Former President Donald Trump and President Joe Biden on stage for their first debate of the 2024 election in Atlanta on Thursday.

Biden gave debate performance Democrats feared, but Trump did not win new votes

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted June 28, 2024 at 6:43am

At the Races: Commonwealth conundrum

By John T. Bennett, Daniela Altimari, Mary Ellen McIntire and Niels Lesniewski
Posted June 27, 2024 at 2:30pm
Westchester County Executive George Latimer speaks to supporters in White Plains, N.Y., after winning the Democratic primary in New York's 16th District on Tuesday.

Election takeaways: Trump support, big money can only go so far

By Daniela Altimari, Mary Ellen McIntire and Niels Lesniewski
Posted June 26, 2024 at 3:15pm
Supporters wave signs as Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at Ritchie Coliseum on the campus of the University of Maryland in College Park on Monday, the second anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade.

With Biden cloistered in debate prep, Harris, Cabinet push agenda

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted June 26, 2024 at 12:16pm

At the Races: Trumping incumbency

By Niels Lesniewski, Daniela Altimari and Mary Ellen McIntire
Posted June 20, 2024 at 2:30pm
Senate Commerce Chair Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and ranking member Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, are seen during a confirmation hearing for Michael Whitaker, nominee to be administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, on Oct. 4, 2023.

Senate spectrum bill markup scrapped over partisan differences

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted June 18, 2024 at 10:33am
President Joe Biden announces policies Tuesday that will provide protections for undocumented immigrants married to U.S. citizens, allowing them to obtain work authorization and streamline their path to citizenship.

Democrats hail Biden immigration moves that Trump brands ‘amnesty’

By John T. Bennett and Niels Lesniewski
Posted June 18, 2024 at 9:38am, Updated at 3:57pm
Rep. Bob Good, R-Va., talks with reporters outside the Capitol after the House reauthorized Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act on April 12.

Five races to watch Tuesday in Georgia, Oklahoma and Virginia

By Mary Ellen McIntire, Daniela Altimari and Niels Lesniewski
Posted June 14, 2024 at 6:00am, Updated at 3:30pm

At the Races: Split takes

By Mary Ellen McIntire, Niels Lesniewski and Daniela Altimari
Posted June 13, 2024 at 2:30pm
South Carolina Republican Rep. Nancy Mace speaks with reporters after a meeting on the debt limit plan with Speaker Kevin McCarthy on April 26, 2023.

Election roundup: Mace wins early, Golden to face ex-NASCAR driver

By Daniela Altimari, Mary Ellen McIntire and Niels Lesniewski
Posted June 11, 2024 at 10:18pm, Updated June 12, 2024 at 3:59pm
Reps. William R. Timmons IV and Nancy Mace face competitive challengers in Tuesday's Republican primaries in South Carolina.

Ohio vacancy, challenges to Timmons and Mace top Tuesday’s races

By Daniela Altimari, Niels Lesniewski, Mary Ellen McIntire and Herb Jackson
Posted June 7, 2024 at 3:21pm, Updated June 10, 2024 at 10:55am

At the Races: Border (debate) not closed

By Daniela Altimari, Mary Ellen McIntire and Niels Lesniewski
Posted June 6, 2024 at 2:30pm
Drew Johnson, a Republican candidate in Nevada’s 3rd District, looks at bullet holes in the tin wall from a deadly 1915 poker game during a tour of the Pioneer Saloon in Goodsprings, Nev., where he was holding a meet and greet on May 28.

GOP crowd vies to challenge Rep. Susie Lee in Nevada

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted June 5, 2024 at 12:40pm
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, right, attend the annual congressional picnic on the South Lawn of the White House on Tuesday.

Impeachment talk doesn’t stop both parties from attending Biden picnic

By Niels Lesniewski and Paul V. Fontelo
Posted June 4, 2024 at 8:31pm
Families board a U.S. Customs and Border Protection vehicle at a makeshift camp in Jacumba Hot Springs, Calif.

Biden immigration order looks to counter GOP criticism

By John T. Bennett and Niels Lesniewski
Posted June 4, 2024 at 12:00pm, Updated at 2:54pm
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., holds her “Make America Great Again” hat during the news conference outside the Capitol on May 1.

Johnson: Impeaching Biden ‘needs to be very methodical’

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted June 4, 2024 at 11:44am

At the Races: Calling the cops

By Niels Lesniewski, Mary Ellen McIntire and Daniela Altimari
Posted May 30, 2024 at 2:30pm
Being former President Donald Trump’s ambassador to Iceland wasn’t enough for Jeff Gunter to earn Trump's endorsement, as he went on to lose the GOP Senate primary in Nevada.

Trump endorsement question hangs over Nevada Senate race

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted May 28, 2024 at 4:23pm

At the Races: Don’t call him the next Mitch

By Mary Ellen McIntire, Niels Lesniewski and Daniela Altimari
Posted May 23, 2024 at 2:31pm
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., circulated a letter to colleagues about the bill.

Schumer plans vote on border security bill that GOP blocked

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted May 20, 2024 at 9:02am, Updated at 5:13pm
California state Assemblymember Vince Fong, a Republican from Bakersfield, appears with then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, left, at a news conference in Santa Ana, Calif., on June 16, 2023.

Eight questions for elections in five states on Tuesday

By Daniela Altimari, Niels Lesniewski and Herb Jackson
Posted May 17, 2024 at 5:34pm

At the Races: And the winner is … the target of this attack

By Daniela Altimari, Mary Ellen McIntire, Niels Lesniewski and Herb Jackson
Posted May 16, 2024 at 2:30pm
Former Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn speaks to supporters after conceding his loss in the Democratic primary in Maryland’s 3rd District in Ellicott City, Md., on Tuesday.

Primary takeaways: Family ties, Capitol conflict and rhyme time

By Niels Lesniewski, Mary Ellen McIntire and Daniela Altimari
Posted May 15, 2024 at 2:26pm

At the Races: Jobs not judges

By John T. Bennett, Daniela Altimari, Mary Ellen McIntire and Niels Lesniewski
Posted May 9, 2024 at 2:30pm, Updated at 5:36pm

At the Races: Divided attention

By Niels Lesniewski, Daniela Altimari and Mary Ellen McIntire
Posted May 2, 2024 at 2:30pm
A recount puts two Democrats on the November ballot to fill the seat of retiring California Democratic Rep. Anna G. Eshoo.

Third Democrat concedes in California primary to succeed Eshoo

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted May 2, 2024 at 6:30am
Marine One takes off from the South Lawn of the White House.

The highs, lows and weirds of covering the White House

By Jason Dick and Niels Lesniewski
Posted March 14, 2024 at 3:04pm

At the Races: App politics

By Daniela Altimari, Niels Lesniewski and Mary Ellen McIntire
Posted March 14, 2024 at 2:30pm, Updated March 15, 2024 at 9:46am
HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge arrives on the House floor before President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address to the joint session of Congress in the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, March 7, 2024. On Monday, the news broke that Fudge was leaving the administration.

Marcia Fudge becomes second Cabinet secretary to leave Biden team

By Niels Lesniewski and Jason Dick
Posted March 11, 2024 at 5:50pm
Election-related funding in President Joe Biden's fiscal 2025 budget proposal includes money for candidate security and a presidential transition, if needed.

Budget proposal includes funds for presidential transition, if needed

By Niels Lesniewski
Posted March 11, 2024 at 3:49pm