Republicans picked Jim Jordan as House minority leader over Steve Scalise, 106-73. The party lost over 40 seats.
House Republicans on Tuesday elected Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio as their next leader, choosing him over Majority Leader Steve Scalise in a closed-door secret ballot. The vote was 106 to 73, according to lawmakers who were in the room. Jordan will lead the party as a minority in the new Congress after Democrats won control of the House in last week’s midterm elections.
Jordan, 62, chairs the House Judiciary Committee and is known as a hardline conservative and close ally of President Donald Trump. He is expected to give up that chairmanship when the new Congress begins. Scalise, of Louisiana, has served in leadership since 2014 and became majority leader in 2023. The two men both ran for speaker in 2023 after Kevin McCarthy was ousted, and neither won enough support. Mike Johnson eventually took the job.
Republicans lost more than 40 House seats, according to CBS News. Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota won the party whip position, SCMP reported. In the Senate, Republicans also met behind closed doors, and John Thune of South Dakota is expected to remain leader. Democrats are expected to choose their leaders later this month, with Hakeem Jeffries poised to become speaker.
This report draws on CBS News, NBC News, Fox News and the South China Morning Post.
