House Republicans elected Rep. Jim Jordan as minority leader for the upcoming 120th Congress during internal leadership voting on Tuesday. Jordan secured 106 votes to defeat House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who received 73 votes, according to multiple sources. 3 position among House Republicans in the minority — according to multiple sources.
The leadership decision follows recent midterm elections that left House Democrats holding a 254-166 majority over Republicans, with 15 congressional races still undecided as of Tuesday. Current Speaker Mike Johnson previously announced he would not seek the minority leader position, prompting the conference to select new leadership following the loss of their majority. And they threaten to undo all the work of the last 10 years,” the letter addressed to Congressional Republicans reads, these devastating losses are historic.
Jordan, first elected to Congress in 2007 and a two-time NCAA champion wrestler, previously chaired the House Oversight and Judiciary committees. He built a prominent national profile through a hardline legislative approach and strong defense of President Donald Trump. Scalise, who entered Congress in 2008, has served in Republican leadership for over ten years, including as the No. 2 House Republican since 2023. Scalise survived critical injuries from a 2017 shooting at a congressional baseball practice and underwent chemotherapy in late 2023 for multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer, before entering remission.
In other House leadership races, current Majority Whip Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota was elected GOP minority whip after defeating a challenge from Texas Rep. August Pfluger. Rep. Lisa McClain of Michigan won the election for GOP conference chair—the third-ranking minority position—over Rep. Erin Houchin of Indiana and Rep. Greg Steube of Florida. Jordan, Scalise, and Emmer previously ran for speaker in 2023 following the removal of Kevin McCarthy, a contest that eventually resulted in Johnson’s election after a three-week stalemate. Along with Emmer, ran for speaker in 2023 when then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted after a revolt from a small group of far-right Republicans, jordan and Scalise. Dad arrested after allegedly leaving 6-year-old daughter in line for Pokémon cards. Teacher’s aide arrested in connection with NYC jogger’s murder: Police.
Across the Capitol, Senate Republicans selected Sen. John Thune of South Dakota by acclamation to continue as their conference leader in the minority. The decision came after extended internal discussions regarding party strategy following midterm results that reduced the Republican caucus by at least seven seats, with two Senate races remaining uncalled.
Senate Republicans originally convened Tuesday morning for scheduled leadership elections but paused voting to hold open discussions on party direction. Although some senators expressed uncertainty about retaining Thune after voter backlash, no rival candidate stepped forward to challenge his position. The Senate GOP caucus also re-elected its remaining leadership slate, keeping Sen. John Barrasso as Senate GOP whip and Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas as Republican Conference chair. Sen. Bernie Moreno was elected unopposed to head the National Republican Senatorial Committee, replacing South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott. Wisconsin state trooper detained by ICE. And in some of the reddest parts of the country, Republicans were humiliated, from coast to coast.
Following the Senate meeting, Thune stated on X that he appreciated the transparent discussion with colleagues and emphasized that the Republican team remains united to advance conservative priorities, collaborate with President Trump and House Republicans, and counter far-left liberal legislative initiatives.
The leadership elections took place amid pressure from within party ranks to delay internal votes. Dozens of Republican National Committee members sent a letter on Monday calling on congressional leaders to postpone elections in both chambers for 30 days. The letter urged the party to evaluate recent election outcomes and allow leadership candidates to present strategies for addressing legislative and campaign failures.
The RNC letter warned that recent election results represented historic setbacks across the country that risked reversing progress made over the past decade. Authors of the letter argued that lawmakers deserved a comprehensive assessment of what went wrong before choosing their leadership team for the next Congress. There is no way to sugarcoat what happened on Election Day.
