House Republicans have chosen Rep. Jim Jordan (OH-04) to lead them in the new Congress after their party's electoral thrashing last Tuesday. Jordan defeated current House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (LA-01) in a closed-door vote held Tuesday afternoon.
Incumbent GOP House members and members-elect made up the voting body, and they cast their votes via secret ballots. Meaning no one in the room was able to see for whom their fellow conference members were voting.
Jordan, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee for now, will become House minority leader when the new Congress convenes in January, replacing outgoing Speaker Mike Johnson (LA-04), who announced last week that he would not seek a leadership position following the GOP's crushing midterm losses. (Johnson has also been coy about whether he'll even remain in Congress.)
Jim Jordan wins House GOP minority leader race https://t.co/Q4RxHTJrTT
— Axios (@axios) November 10, 2026
The victory by Jordan could be seen as somewhat of a political comeback after his unsuccessful bid to become House speaker back in 2023. Johnson eventually beat both Jordan and Scalise after they failed to gain enough support within the GOP conference.
The incoming minority leader will face the daunting task of uniting a Republican conference left in tatters by the midterm elections. Jordan, known for his spirited questioning of panelists during congressional hearings, will now be one of the President Trump's principal defenders against the expected onslaught of Democrat investigations. He will also be responsible laying the groundwork for a GOP comeback in 2028.
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