Republican presidential candidates, from left, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Vice President Mike Pence, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum stand on stage before a Republican presidential primary debate Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo / Morry Gash)

Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have dominated the Republican presidential nomination fight for much of the year. Neither dominated the debate stage Wednesday night.

State Senate Republican Leader John Curran, of Downers Grove, speaks to the crowd during Illinois State Fair Republican Day festivities in Springfield. (Jerry Nowicki / Capitol News Illinois)

During Republican Day at the Illinois State Fair, state party leaders sought a message of unity ahead of the 2024 presidential election. While former President Donald Trump’s name and political slogans were visible on signage and clothing, the speakers generally kept their focus on Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

Jennifer and Tim Kohl poses for a photo in their front yard with the American flag and a thin blue line flag in Star, Idaho, on April 14, 2023. The couple recently moved to Idaho from the Los Angeles area. (AP Photo / Kyle Green)

Federalism — allowing each state to chart its own course within boundaries set by Congress and the Constitution — is at the core of the U.S. system. Now, some wonder whether that’s driving Americans apart.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill., speaks as the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol Hill in Washington on Dec. 19, 2022. (AP Photo / Jacquelyn Martin, File)

“Ever since my final falling-out with the GOP, on the day of the deadly January 6 attack on the Capitol by Donald Trump’s followers, I have wanted to tell the inside story of how my party and also my faith have been hijacked by extremists who represent a real danger to our democracy,” Kinzinger said in a statement.

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley speaks at an annual leadership meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition, Nov. 19, 2022, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo / John Locher, File)

The announcement, delivered in a tweeted video, marks an about-face for the ex-Trump Cabinet official, who said two years ago that she wouldn’t challenge her former boss for the White House in 2024. 

Newly elected Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., walks to his office from the chamber after a contentious battle to lead the GOP majority in the 118th Congress, at the Capitol in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023. (AP Photo / Matt Rourke)

Lawmakers no longer have to walk through metal detectors before gaining access to the House floor. And any time they do vote, they will have to do so in person — no more voting by proxy from home. Those are just some of the changes.

Dean of the House Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky., swears in Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., as House Speaker on the House floor at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, early Saturday, Jan. 7, 2023. (AP Photo / Andrew Harnik)

Eager to confront President Joe Biden and the Democrats, Kevin McCarthy promised subpoenas and investigations. “Now the hard work begins," the California Republican declared.

Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., and members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, from left, Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., talk to reporters at the Capitol in Washington, Dec. 13, 2022. (AP Photo / J. Scott Applewhite, File)

Pressure was building as GOP party leader Kevin McCarthy lost a seventh, eighth and historic ninth round of voting, tying the number it took the last time this happened, 100 years ago, in a prolonged fight to choose a speaker in a disputed election.

Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., left, and Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., right, speaks with Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in the House chamber as the House meets for a second day to elect a speaker and convene the 118th Congress in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023. (AP Photo / Alex Brandon)

For a fourth, fifth and sixth time, Republicans tried to vote McCarthy into the top job as the House plunged deeper into disarray.

House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., emerges from a closed-door meeting with the GOP Conference as he pursues the speaker of the House role as the 118th Congress convenes, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2023. Detractors in the conservative House Freedom Caucus were making demands on McCarthy for in turn for their support. (AP Photo / J. Scott Applewhite)

Republican leader Kevin McCarthy had pledged a “battle on the floor” for as long as it takes to overcome right-flank fellow Republicans who were refusing to give him their votes. But it was not at all clear how the embattled GOP leader could rebound after becoming the first House speaker nominee in 100 years to fail to win the gavel from his fellow party members on the initial vote.

Michael Martin of Springfield, Va., with UpVote Virginia, holds a sign that reads “End Gerrymandering Again!” and speaks with Nadine Seiler of Waldorf, Md., in front of the Supreme Court in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2022. (AP Photo / Andrew Harnik)

In nearly three hours of arguments, liberal and conservative justices appeared to take issue with the main thrust of a challenge asking them to essentially eliminate the power of state courts to strike down legislature-drawn, gerrymandered congressional district maps on grounds that they violate state constitutions.

Georgia Republican Senate candidate Herschel Walker, here in Carrollton, Georgia on Oct. 11, 2022, described himself during a campaign speech in January as living in Texas. (Elijah Nouvelage / Getty Images via CNN)

Georgia Democrats have called for an investigation by state officials into Walker’s residency after CNN’s KFile reported last week that Walker was getting a tax break in Texas intended for a primary residence, possibly running afoul of Texas tax law.

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, speaks before former President Donald Trump at a rally at Dayton International Airport on Nov. 7, 2022, in Vandalia, Ohio. (AP Photo / Michael Conroy, File)

Republicans won’t have enough votes to advance key legislative priorities if there is no Democratic buy-in, but their oversight of government agencies could put Democrats on the defensive and dampen support for the Biden administration. 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a news conference at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Aug. 18, 2022. (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP, File)

An Associated Press investigation found there was no widespread fraud in Georgia or the five other battleground states where Trump disputed his 2020 loss, and so far there is no indication of that in this year's elections. Certification of the results is going smoothly in most states, with few complaints.

Former President Donald Trump arrives to speak at Mar-a-lago on Election Day, Nov. 8, 2022, in Palm Beach, Fla. Trump is preparing to launch his third campaign for the White House with an announcement Tuesday night, Nov. 15. (AP Photo / Andrew Harnik, File)

Trump had hoped to use the GOP’s expected gains in last week’s elections as a springboard to vault himself to his party’s nomination. Instead, he finds himself being blamed for backing a series of losing candidates after Republicans failed to take control of the Senate. 

Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, waves to supporters after addressing an election night party in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022. (AP Photo / Gene J. Puskar)

Razor-thin margins around the country left control of Congress still undetermined Wednesday, but Democrats showed surprising strength in the midterm election, topping Republicans in a series of competitive races.