Sunday shows preview: Democrats lay out agenda after midterm sweep as GOP leadership fight brews

With Democrats set to take control of both the House and Senate after sweeping midterm victories, lawmakers have already begun sketching out plans for the lame-duck period and the remainder of President Trump's second term, and many of the central figures will make their cases on the Sunday morning news programs.

Democrats flipped Republican-held seats in Texas, Maine, Kansas, Iowa, South Carolina and Ohio, and the party currently stands at 54 Senate seats and 254 House seats with other races still undecided, positioning it for clashes with GOP officials in the Trump administration.

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee who is seeking to chair the panel, offered a two-word statement to Trump officials after the blue wave: "Lawyer up." Garcia is scheduled to appear on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday.

Democrats, along with some Republican lawmakers, have also called for the impeachment of senior Trump administration officials, including Attorney General Todd Blanche and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Reps. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) and Deborah Ross (D-N.C.) voiced support for those impeachment efforts Thursday in an interview with SiriusXM's "The Dan Abrams Show." Blanche is expected to appear on "Fox News Sunday."

The push to remove Hegseth has come from both sides of the aisle. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) told CNN he plans to call for a vote to impeach the defense secretary, and he later posted on social media that his impeachment resolution is "a much gentler version of what's coming when Dem's control Congress. They'll have hearings & trials." Hegseth responded in a Thursday video posted to X, saying, "A disgruntled, defeated congressman, along with all his Democrat allies, has also dropped sham articles of impeachment against yours truly." President Trump escalated matters Saturday, asking the Justice Department to investigate Democrats' investigation threats toward administration officials, which he called "extortion at the highest level."

The White House announced its own leadership shake-ups after Election Day. The president said Friday that chief of staff Susie Wiles is leaving and that longtime adviser Stephen Miller will take her place. Before the announcement, former White House adviser Steve Bannon had called for Wiles's immediate removal over the GOP's midterm shellacking.

Party officials were quick to blame issues such as the cost of living and the ongoing war in Iran for Republican losses, and even Vice President Vance attributed the widespread defeat to the administration's war with the Islamic Republic. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) pointed to cost of living as a "top issue" after a historic flip in the Lone Star State, where state Rep. Gina Hinojosa (D) defeated incumbent Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and Democrat James Talarico beat state Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Senate race. The GOP did maintain its grip on Florida, where Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) defeated Democrat David Jolly in the gubernatorial race. Donalds is set to appear on NBC's "Meet the Press" and Fox News's "Sunday Morning Futures."

The stunning results also heated up leadership conversations for the 120th Congress. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) is expected to run for minority leader, a source familiar with his plans told The Hill, and he will likely face House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). The maneuvering follows Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) telling staff on a Wednesday call that he will not run for the post.

On the Democratic side, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) is on track to take the majority leader post, and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced he would seek reelection as Senate majority leader. Newly elected Democratic senators Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan and Adam Hamilton of Kansas, however, said they would not cast their votes for Schumer. Hamilton is set to appear on both "Meet the Press" and "State of the Union."

The rest of the Sunday lineup includes Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Rep. French Hill (R-Ark.) and Rep.-elect Nancy Lacore (D-S.C.) on CBS's "Face the Nation"; Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on both CNN and NBC; New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) on "Fox News Sunday"; Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) on "Meet the Press"; and Tennessee Sen. Bill Hagerty (R), former Deputy Treasury Secretary Michael Faulkender and former Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) on "Sunday Morning Futures."