Jim Jordan elected to lead House Republicans in the minority

WASHINGTON — Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio was elected Tuesday to lead House Republicans when they move into the minority in January, putting one of the party’s most combative conservatives in charge after its midterm losses.

Jordan, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, defeated Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana 106-73 in a secret-ballot vote of Republicans who will serve in the next Congress, The Associated Press reported. Cheers could be heard outside the closed-door meeting after the vote.

“When Democrats offer more government, we’ll offer more freedom,” Jordan told reporters afterward. “We will bring that fight in committee, on the floor and on the stump every single day.”

Offense, not defense

Jordan, 62, is a co-founder of the House Freedom Caucus and served as its first chairman. In his pitch to colleagues, he argued that the party’s job could not be limited to pointing out what he called the radicalism of the new Democratic majority. “Offense, not defense, wins elections,” he said.

Democrats have promised a wave of investigations of the Trump administration when they take control of the House. Jordan’s supporters said his years of experience in oversight fights made him the right choice.

“Jim Jordan knows about weaponization,” said Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida. Rep. Brian Mast of Florida, who nominated Jordan, said the way Jordan fights “says a lot about where this conference is.”

A rematch

The vote reversed the result of a similar contest three years ago. After Republicans ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy in 2023, Scalise narrowly won the party’s nomination for speaker over Jordan but withdrew before a floor vote. Jordan then failed to win a majority of the House over three rounds of voting, and Republicans eventually turned to Mike Johnson.

This was Jordan’s third attempt to lead House Republicans. He also challenged McCarthy for minority leader in 2018.

Scalise, 61, has held leadership posts since 2014. He was critically wounded in 2017 when a gunman opened fire on a Republican congressional baseball practice. In his pitch, Scalise pointed to his fundraising, saying he raised $67.9 million for this year’s midterms.

Johnson announced last week that he would not seek to remain the party’s leader. President Donald Trump said he was staying out of the race.

A more conservative conference

The Republican conference that Jordan will lead is smaller and, by many accounts, more conservative. A disproportionate number of moderate and swing-district Republicans retired or lost on Nov. 3.

“We’re a significantly more conservative conference than we were,” Mast said.

Republicans lost about 30 seats, according to Gray DC, with 14 races still uncalled as of Tuesday.

Other leadership races

Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota was elected Republican whip, the No. 2 post, defeating Rep. August Pfluger of Texas. Rep. Lisa McClain of Michigan was reelected conference chair.

Senate Republicans, who will also be in the minority next year, voted Tuesday to keep John Thune of South Dakota as their leader.

House Democrats will hold their leadership elections next week. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York is expected to become speaker, the first Black lawmaker to hold the job. Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts is expected to become majority leader, the first woman in that post.

Jordan will take over as minority leader when the new Congress convenes Jan. 3, 2027. Winning back the House in 2028 will be a steep climb given the scope of the Democratic gains.