Jim Jordan Elected House Republican Minority Leader After Midterm Losses

In brief

• House Republicans chose Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan as minority leader for the next Congress after a closed-door secret ballot.
• Jordan beat Steve Scalise, the party's number two, in a vote reported as 106 to 73.
• Democrats take control of both chambers in January, with Jordan leading Republicans in the minority.

A secret ballot and a clear margin

House Republicans selected Jordan in a secret ballot held behind closed doors on Tuesday, defeating Steve Scalise, who had served as the party's number two in the chamber and was a close ally of outgoing Speaker Mike Johnson. Johnson has already said he will not seek a leadership role in the next Congress, though he intends to remain a member of the House (Jest sojusznikiem Trumpa i ma kontakty w PiS. Jordan nowym liderem republikanów – RMF24).

Who Jordan is

Jordan, 62, represents an Ohio district he has held since 2007 and currently chairs the House Judiciary Committee (USA: Republikaner Jim Jordan wird Minderheitsführer im Repräsentantenhaus – DER SPIEGEL). He was the first leader of the House Freedom Caucus, a hardline conservative bloc that grew out of the Tea Party movement, and he has been a prominent defender of Trump (Republikáni si zvolili svojho lídra v Snemovni reprezentantov. Stal sa ním Jim Jordan z Ohia – HNonline.sk). In 2023 he lost a bid for House Speaker after several failed floor votes, before his own conference withdrew his name and Johnson won the post.

A party seeking a new direction

Jordan argued that Republicans needed a fresh and assertive voice to rebuild after losing ground in the November elections, and to hold the conference together. In a letter to colleagues, he pointed to his experience with congressional oversight and warned of a series of investigations by Democrats targeting the Trump administration, his family and business dealings. Reports described his candidacy as appealing to Republicans who had called for a change in leadership after the defeat (A week after huge election losses, Republicans to choose their leaders in Congress – Investing.com).

What comes next

Democrats will control the House and Senate when the 120th Congress convenes in January, and the Republican leadership slate will take its place in the minority (Republicans elect Jim Jordan as House minority leader after midterm defeats – The Guardian). In the Senate, Majority Leader John Thune was expected to face no challenger for the minority leader post, although some hardline senators pushed to delay party leadership elections.

Read also

• House Speaker Mike Johnson Won't Seek Republican Minority Leader Post After Midterm Losses