WASHINGTON – After being swept from power by a blue tidal wave, House Republicans on Tuesday elected a new GOP leader to replace outgoing Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, defeated Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., a close Johnson ally, for minority leader, two Republican lawmakers said. The vote was carried out behind closed doors and by secret ballot. The vote was 106-73, the two lawmakers in the room said. Jordan is an ardent supporter of President Donald Trump and had told his Republican colleagues that his previous role as chairman of the Oversight Committee would allow him to combat the avalanche of investigations that newly empowered Democrats have promised to launch into Trump’s administration, family and businesses. “The Democrats’ playbook,” he wrote to his colleagues. Jordan’s victory signals that House Republicans wanted a clear break with Johnson’s political apparatus following the GOP’s historic defeat last week that handed Democrats roughly 260 seats, the largest majority in 35 years. It’s a notable rise for Jordan, who has spent two decades in Congress and was once considered a conservative bomb-thrower who often clashed with the GOP leadership team, although the ambitious Republican has become more of a team player in recent years while leading House committees. Senate Republicans will also hold their leadership elections on Tuesday, behind closed doors and by secret ballot. Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota is running for minority leader, and so far no one has announced plans to oppose him. The House: Jordan’s rise and other races Jordan, 62, began rising through the ranks after the Tea Party wave swept Republicans to power in the 2010 midterm elections, winning the race to lead the Republican Study Committee, the largest group of conservatives on Capitol Hill. Then he and a handful of other hardline conservatives formed the House Freedom Caucus, a smaller, leaner, more conservative caucus that aimed to move the Republican Party Conference further to the right. Among that group was Ron DeSantis, who would become governor of Florida, and Mark Meadows and Mick Mulvaney, who would serve as Trump’s chiefs of staff. At HFC, Jordan tangled with a fellow Ohio Republican, then-Speaker John Boehner, and caused headaches for Boehner’s successor, then-Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis. After Republicans lost their majority in the 2018 anti-Trump election, Jordan challenged California Republican Kevin McCarthy for minority leader, but was easily defeated. The vote was 159 to 43. Also in 2018, alumni of Ohio State University, where Jordan was an assistant wrestling coach, came forward with allegations of sexual abuse by the team doctor. Jordan has repeatedly denied any knowledge of abuse by Dr. Richard Strauss, who abused hundreds of men over decades, according to an independent investigation; Strauss died in 2005. In July 2018, a group of former wrestlers accused Jordan of failing to stop the abuse, saying it was public knowledge. After McCarthy resigned as Speaker of the House in October 2023, both Scalise and Jordan ran to succeed him, but failed to obtain the necessary 218 votes. Johnson, then the little-known and low-ranking vice president of the Republican Conference, was catapulted to the presidency. A day after last week’s Democratic defeat, Johnson said he was leaving the leadership team. Johnson is close with both Jordan and Scalise, and considers them mentors. But Scalise, who argued he could better unify factions of House Republicans against the “socialists” coming to Washington, has held Republican leadership positions since Boehner was president and Jordan represented a bigger shift. put in the minority, Republicans said. Pfluger is the chairman of the Republican Study Committee, the largest conservative group on Capitol Hill. And House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain of Michigan is trying to address challenges from two colleagues: Erin Houchin of Indiana, who holds a lower-level leadership position, and Greg Steube of Florida, who chided the current leadership team for choosing “accommodation over conviction.” But a small group of Senate Republicans have sought to delay the vote, saying the party needs more time to process the election results. “A week ago, we had the worst election result in decades. We need a discussion about what went wrong, how to fix it, what we stand for, and how our agenda should focus on the concerns of the American people,” Sen. David McCormick, R-Pa., said in a statement. “As I have shared with Leader Thune, I do not believe we should move to leadership elections until we have digested and debated the lessons of the midterm elections and how to move forward,” he said. “We need leadership to be established quickly, but Tuesday is too early.” Five other Senate Republicans, led by Budget Committee Chairman Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, sent a letter to Senate Republican Conference Chairman Tom Cotton of Arkansas calling for “a robust discussion and assessment of how those running for leadership intend to lead” before the election is held Tuesday morning. As in the House, senators’ votes are cast by secret ballot and candidates require a simple majority of the conference to win. Wyoming and Cotton are expected to win their races to remain as second- and third-place Republicans in the next Congress. Jeffries and Schumer are the favorites to lead the Democrats. After last week’s Democratic defeat, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, both Democrats from New York, are favorites to be the next House speaker and Senate majority leader. But they also face complaints from rank-and-file members. No one has emerged to challenge either man for the top jobs, although Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., opened the door Monday to a possible run for majority leader amid a grassroots push to find an alternative to Schumer. his leadership team has not emerged in private conversations. “Most of us are just trying to figure out where our office is and how to find the bathroom,” said Sen.-elect Peggy Flanagan, D-Minn. “It’s really exciting to be here and meet a lot of my colleagues who have been campaigning. I know how hard we’ve been working. And to be here together, it’s really exciting.” As for Van Hollen’s potential candidacy for majority leader, Flanagan said she is “certainly open to new leadership” but is “not ready to make any commitments at this time.” Senate Democrats will choose their leadership team in a private meeting in early December, while House Democrats will choose their team. Next week. Several progressives have said they are undecided about whether to back Jeffries for president, as grassroots groups urge the party to more aggressively confront Trump and enact progressive policies. “We are not withholding votes. What we are doing [is] “We want to sit down and talk about the issues and what the plan is going forward.” But Jeffries has such a large majority (NBC News projects Democrats will secure 259 seats) that he can afford roughly 40 defections and still win the 218 votes needed to become House speaker on Jan. 3. “We’re going to work as hard as we can to get to No. 218, and we’re confident we’ll get to that number and more,” Jeffries told reporters when asked about disgruntled progressives. Jeffries and his top lieutenants, Katherine Clark of Massachusetts, Pete Aguilar of California, and Ted Lieu of California, are so far running unopposed for the top four leadership positions: Speaker, Majority Leader, Majority Leader and Democratic Caucus Chair.
