House Republicans Elect Jim Jordan as Minority Leader Following Midterm Defeats

Republican representatives elected Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan as the new House minority leader on Tuesday. Jordan defeated Majority Leader Steve Scalise in a 106-73 vote following the party's loss of more than 40 seats in the recent midterm elections.

Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican and prominent ally of President Trump, will lead the party in the next Congress after defeating Majority Leader Steve Scalise. Sources familiar with the tally told CBS News the vote was 106 to 73. The leadership change comes after what outlets described as crippling losses for the GOP, leaving Democrats with their largest margins in both the House and Senate in years.

Following his victory, Jordan promised that House Republicans would fight for American families and offer "more freedom" when Democrats propose more government. According to The Guardian, Jordan will be responsible for shaping the party’s strategy against promised Democratic investigations into the Trump administration. In his candidacy letter, Jordan argued that he was "battle-tested" and capable of leading against an energized Democratic majority.

Current House Speaker Mike Johnson is stepping down from leadership and has not yet committed to serving out the remainder of his term. Johnson, who praised Jordan as a mentor, said the Ohio congressman would do an "extraordinary job." Other leadership roles were also settled on Tuesday, with Representative Tom Emmer chosen as minority whip and Representative Lisa McClain as conference chair.

The contest between Jordan and Scalise follows their previous attempts to secure the speakership in 2023. While neither could unite the conference at that time, Al Jazeera reported that Jordan is now promising unity and a robust opposition. Scalise, who has been in leadership since 2014, had told colleagues in his own candidacy letter that he was prepared to overcome the conference's current adversity.

Background

Jim Jordan is a co-founder of the House Freedom Caucus and has chaired the House Judiciary Committee since 2023. In 2023, both Jordan and Scalise unsuccessfully ran for speaker after Kevin McCarthy's ouster, eventually leading to the selection of Mike Johnson.