House Republicans on Tuesday elected Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio as their next leader, choosing the combative conservative and close ally of President Donald Trump to guide the party back into the minority after last week's midterm losses. Jordan defeated House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana, 106 to 73, in a closed-door secret ballot at the Capitol.
Jordan, 62, will succeed House Speaker Mike Johnson, who declined to seek the minority leader post after Republicans lost control of both chambers in the Nov. 3 midterm elections. Johnson will remain speaker until the new Congress is seated on Jan. 3, 2027, when Democrats take control of the chamber.
Democrats flipped at least 40 seats nationwide and will hold at least 255 of the House's 435 seats, according to the Associated Press, with a few races still uncalled. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, who is in line to become speaker, said the 258 confirmed Democrats represent the largest majority for either party this century.
Jordan, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee and co-founded the House Freedom Caucus, was first elected to Congress in 2006 and has represented Ohio's 4th Congressional District since 2007. In a letter to his colleagues before the vote, he described himself as a "battle-tested" leader ready to lead the opposition to the incoming Democratic majority and its planned investigations of the Trump administration.
House Republicans also chose Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota to continue as minority whip, making him Jordan's second-in-command. House Democrats are scheduled to hold their own leadership elections on Nov. 18, while Senate Republicans also met behind closed doors on Tuesday, with their leadership race still undetermined.
