The Senate will soon have a new Republican majority leader and committee chairs.

• Here's a look at some of the staff that could influence how the party approaches tech policy, per Maria.

Chance Costello, senior legislative assistant, and Alex Sachtjen, legislative assistant, GOP Whip John Thune

Thune, a frontrunner for majority leader, is a member of the Commerce Committee and a tech and telecom wonk.

• Costello and Sachtjen have both served in the Senate for more than eight years and have tech policy focus areas.
• Sachtjen previously worked for Americans for Prosperity, a libertarian conservative political advocacy group, and Costello worked on Sen. Mike Rounds' campaign.

Geoff Antell, chief of staff, GOP Whip John Thune

Antell is the current top staffer in Thune's leadership office, and he's got a deep history on the Hill.

• He was trade counsel for House Ways and Means before moving to the office of then-Speaker Paul Ryan and later joining Thune's team.
• If Thune wins the leadership battle, Antell could influence the direction of the GOP conference.

Halie Craig, policy director, Sen. Ted Cruz

Cruz is poised to become chair of the Commerce Committee, where he'll be in charge of agency oversight, legislation pertaining to the internet and Big Tech investigations.

• Craig has held various roles in the Senate since 2012, including working for retired Sen. Pat Toomey.
• She stepped away from the Hill during that time to work on policy issues for Facebook and to be a fellow for the R St Institute.

Jacob Smith, policy adviser, Sen. John Cornyn

Cornyn, a known China hawk, is also in the running to become majority leader. He touches on tech and trade policy across his Finance, Judiciary and Intelligence committee assignments.

• Smith has held various positions on the Hill: In addition to serving on Cornyn's staff, he worked on the House Science Committee and was a legislative aide for Sen. Roger Wicker.
• Smith previously interned at the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe.

We've had some calls in our key House and Senate tech races since yesterday's newsletter:

Rep. Elissa Slotkin won Michigan's tight Senate race, defeating Mike Rogers.

• On the Hill, Slotkin currently serves on one subcommittee focused on biotechnology and another on cybersecurity and innovative tech.
• Her priorities include bringing "critical supply chains and manufacturing back home," and she co-sponsored CHIPS to protect her state's auto industry.

We're still waiting on the call in the Nevada race, where Sen. Jacky Rosen is now just ahead of challenger Sam Brown.

In the House, the race has been officially called in Ohio's 13th congressional district, with incumbent Emilia Sykes defeating Kevin Coughlin. 

• She made job opportunities stemming from the CHIPS and Science Act a key part of her campaign, as Maria reported from the trail.

The CA-16 winner has also been declared, with Sam Liccardo defeating fellow Democrat Evan Low for retiring Silicon Valley stalwart Rep. Anna Eshoo's seat.

• Liccardo is the former mayor of San Jose; previously, he worked as a prosecutor in Santa Clara.
• In 2021 he said tech companies were not to blame for people leaving the Bay Area.

There's still a few uncalled key tech races in the House. We'll let you know the results in future newsletters:

• California's 45th District: Michelle Steel (R) vs. Derek Tran (D)
• Iowa's 1st District: Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R) vs. Christina Bohannan (D)
• Arizona's 1st District: Rep. David Schweikert (R) vs. Amish Shah (D)