Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) will lead House Republicans for the final two years of the Trump administration.
Jordan beat Majority Leader Steve Scalise in a secret-ballot vote for minority leader Tuesday to lead the GOP conference in the 120th Congress following Republicans’ steep 2026 midterm losses. Jordan secured 106 votes to Scalise’s 73.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who announced he would not seek the top leadership spot last week, did not publicly weigh in on the race, telling reporters Monday that he committed to not “tipping the scales” in the internal leadership elections.
The minority leader race remained close heading into Tuesday morning’s conference, with both Scalise and Jordan making their pitches for why they should lead House Republicans. In the closed-door meeting, Jordan argued that he is an effective communicator and touted his experience chairing the judiciary and oversight committees, a House Republican in the room told the Washington Examiner.
Scalise, meanwhile, leaned on his experience and tenure atop the Republican conference, arguing he has successfully brought the party back from the minority to the majority before, according to the House Republican.
GOP members asked both men in Tuesday morning’s leadership forum how they would manage their relationship with President Donald Trump and leaks to the press while leading the conference, a second source in the room told the Washington Examiner.
This House Republican told the Washington Examiner that the question regarding Trump stemmed from a need to recognize that while there will be times when Republicans need to “stick together and defend the president,” there will also be times when the party may have to recognize its congressional responsibilities.
Jordan’s victory is a culmination of his steady climb through the ranks, having spent the last two years traveling the country to support GOP candidates to grow his support base after his 2023 leadership bid failed.
The race was a rematch between the pair, who vied for the speaker’s gavel when Kevin McCarthy was ousted in 2023. Then, Scalise beat Jordan in the closed-door vote, but Scalise’s hopes were dashed before a vote on the House floor.
Jordan was then nominated by the conference to be speaker, but could not secure the gavel on three floor votes.
Central to Jordan’s pitch was his experience as a bomb-thrower as leader of the judiciary and oversight committees, arguing he had the resume to counter the Democratic playbook.
“I know what it will take to lead our Conference in the minority, to stay unified, and to coordinate and calibrate our response to the Democrats’ tactics,” Jordan wrote in a “Dear Colleague” letter last week. “We need a Leadership team that is active and engaged, forward-thinking and straight-shooting.”
For Scalise, the results of the minority leader race mark another setback for the Louisiana Republican’s desire to climb the ranks, and he is out of a leadership position for the first time in more than a decade.
Scalise served as Johnson’s right-hand man for over two years, and he established himself as a prodigious fundraiser for battleground candidates.
The conference will also decide the down-ballot Republican positions on Tuesday.
MIKE JOHNSON DOESN’T COMMIT TO SERVING IN NEXT CONGRESS AFTER BLUE WAVE
Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) faces Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX) for the No. 2 Republican position. Rep. Brian Jack (R-GA) squares off against Rep. Rudy Yakym (R-IN) to lead the Republican campaign arm.
The race for House Republican conference chair fielded three candidates: Reps. Greg Steube (R-FL) and Erin Houchin (R-IN) are challenging current chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-MI) for the No. 3 Republican spot.