(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Some Republicans have come up with a response to the Democrats’ stunning November victories: try to strip incoming Democratic officials of some of their powers and leverage before they take office in January.
The efforts echo the Biden administration’s attempts to “Trump-proof” the executive branch before President Donald Trump returned to the White House in 2025. In the final months before leaving office, then-President Joe Biden moved to implement complex regulations to protect civil servants. The Biden administration also distributed billions of dollars from the so-called Inflation Reduction Act to get money out before Trump could try to claw it back. Biden also sent Ukraine billions in aid before Jan. 20, 2025.
In Georgia, outgoing Gov. Brian Kemp rejected calls for him to convene a special session to redraw the Peach State’s congressional maps and curtail some of Gov.-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms’ powers.
Kemp, a Republican, said in a Wednesday statement to media outlets that the “voters of our state have spoken” and that “as long as I’m governor, we will always respect the results of secure, accessible, and fair elections, and also abide by the laws and constitution of our state.”
The calls came from Republican lawmakers after Bottoms defeated Republican Rick Jackson and Democrats retook control of the state House for the first time since 2004.
NEW: Democrats are projected to have a 53-seat advantage in the House of Representatives, according to NBC News.
NBC’s House Estimate:
DEM: 244
REP: 191Wow. pic.twitter.com/PQOPVeRs29
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) November 4, 2026
In Texas, state Sen. Brian Harrison, a Republican, called on fellow Republican Gov. Greg Abbott to “IMMEDIATELY” convene a special session to claw back executive emergency powers after Abbott lost his reelection bid to Democrat Gina Hinojosa.
Harrison has pushed for such restrictions since 2022, saying on X that he has maintained since he was first elected that “no governor, Republican or Democrat, should have unchecked emergency powers.”
He added, “We still have total power in Texas, and we must act like it by using the remaining ten weeks to restore separation of powers and limit the emergency powers that Governor-Elect Hinojosa is set to inherit, which would allow her to destroy liberty in Texas by executive fiat.”
Abbott’s position on the proposal is unclear.
🚨 I call on Gov. Abbott to IMMEDIATELY convene a special session to REIN IN EXECUTIVE EMERGENCY POWERS… before Gina Hinojosa is sworn in!
Republicans lost last night, but Democrats were not sworn in.
We still have total power in Texas, and we must act like it by using the… pic.twitter.com/T3DINhlLZa
— Brian Harrison (@brianeharrison) November 4, 2026
The push to limit Democrats’ leverage also extends to the federal level, with retiring Texas GOP Rep. Chip Roy calling on Republicans to pass a reconciliation package in the next eight weeks to “take away leverage points from Democrats on spending.”
Democrats are projected to win at least 255 seats in the House and 54 seats in the Senate, gaining significant leverage ahead of upcoming budget negotiations.
Trump, for his part, has said he is open to negotiating with the incoming Democratic majority. Whether Democrats are willing to compromise remains murky, as they could instead choose to hold their ground until 2028, hoping to reclaim the White House that year.
🚨 BREAKING: President Trump pledges to STRIKE DEALS with the Democrat House and Senate majority, saying they've ALREADY called him
"A LOT of Democrats have called me, in the last 20 minutes, actually."
"I've already spoken to certain leaders in the Democrat Party."
"We'll… pic.twitter.com/elp9DpHH3N
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 4, 2026
