Follow The Library Media
The Library Media — National & World · National Desk
Jim Jordan Elected House Republican Leader as Party Prepares for Minority
By Eleanor Ever Loyal
House Republicans elected Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio as their minority leader for the 120th Congress on Tuesday, choosing the Judiciary Committee chairman over current Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana in a closed-door conference vote.
Jordan won 106 votes to Scalise’s 73, according to Politico’s tally, based on sources present for the count. The result was also reported by The Hill, Axios, Fox News and The Washington Post.
The election places Jordan at the head of House Republicans as the party prepares to leave the majority following the midterm elections. Democrats won control of the chamber, with Rep. Hakeem Jeffries expected to become speaker when the new Congress convenes on Jan. 3, 2027.
Jordan, a prominent conservative who co-founded the House Freedom Caucus, will lead the Republican minority in the next Congress. Scalise, who currently serves as House majority leader, was seeking to retain a senior leadership position as Republicans prepare for the transition.
The contest was a rematch of the leadership struggle that followed the ouster of then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy in 2023. In that contest, Scalise defeated Jordan in a Republican conference vote. Neither man, however, was able to secure the necessary support in a subsequent vote on the House floor, and the leadership dispute continued before Rep. Mike Johnson of Louisiana was elected speaker.
This time, Jordan prevailed in the internal conference election. Reporting by the Washington Examiner described his efforts since 2023 to build relationships with Republican candidates and sitting members across the conference as a factor in his success. Jordan spent significant time cultivating support among colleagues during the intervening years.
The outcome was decided by House Republicans themselves in a closed-door meeting. A minority leader is selected by a majority of the party’s conference; the position does not require a majority vote of the full House.
Johnson, who is the current speaker, did not publicly endorse either candidate. He told reporters Monday that he was committed to not “tipping the scales” in the internal leadership elections, according to the Washington Examiner.
The result gives Republicans a leadership choice as they prepare to serve in the minority under a Democratic-controlled House. Jordan’s role will be to lead the party’s conference and its work in the chamber, while Jeffries is in line to assume the speakership when the 120th Congress begins in January.
The transition marks a change for Jordan, who has chaired the House Judiciary Committee, and for Scalise, who has served as the Republican majority leader. The conference vote settles the contest between the two men for the party’s top House leadership post in the coming Congress.
— Eleanor Ever Loyal, National Desk
From The Library — the estate of our family.
Update (Nov. 10): Tom Emmer of Minnesota beat August Pfluger of Texas for House minority whip, The Hill reported.