Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio will lead House Republicans in the next Congress after beating Majority Leader Steve Scalise 106-73 in a secret ballot on Tuesday. Three years ago the same two men ran for the same conference's top job, Scalise won the conference vote, and Jordan later lost three straight floor votes for Speaker. This time the job he won never goes to the floor.
What happened in Tuesday's vote?
Republicans who will serve in the next Congress picked Jordan over Scalise by 106 to 73, the Associated Press reported. ABC News and Roll Call reported the same count. Jordan, 62, chairs the Judiciary Committee and was the first chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, which he co-founded.
The rest of the leadership team stayed put. Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota kept the whip job, defeating Rep. August Pfluger of Texas 103 to 76, and Rep. Lisa McClain of Michigan stayed on as conference chair, The Week reported. Speaker Mike Johnson did not run for any post. "I'm not weighing in here on the leadership elections," he said, per the AP.
Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., who has held a House GOP leadership post since 2014. Official 116th Congress portrait by the U.S. House Office of Photography, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).
Why did members pick Jordan this time?
His supporters said it plainly. "I personally like Steve, but he's been in leadership since before I was in Congress," Rep. Warren Davidson of Ohio told Fox News. Rep. Scott Fitzgerald of Wisconsin said Jordan "understands what we're up against."
Scalise pitched experience. "I've got a proven record of how to bring people together," he said, per Roll Call. He has a real record to point to: the AP says he raised $67.9 million for this year's midterms, about a third of it sent straight to House campaigns and the National Republican Congressional Committee. Members went the other way after what The Week calls the party's worst congressional loss in more than half a century.
Jordan's own message was about posture. "Our job cannot be merely to spotlight how radical this new Democratic Party is," he said, adding, "offense, not defense, wins elections," Spectrum News reported.
How did the 2023 rematch go the other way?
After Kevin McCarthy was removed as Speaker in October 2023, the conference first nominated Scalise over Jordan by 113 to 99. Scalise withdrew a day later. Jordan then won the nomination over Rep. Austin Scott, 124 to 81, and took it to the floor.
The record
Jordan's three Speaker ballots in October 2023, as compiled on Wikipedia's page for that Speaker election: Oct. 17, 200 votes with 20 Republicans voting for someone else; Oct. 18, 199 votes with 22 Republicans opposed; Oct. 20, 194 votes with 25 Republicans opposed. Later on Oct. 20 the conference voted 112-86 by secret ballot to drop him as nominee. Mike Johnson won the gavel Oct. 25 with 220 votes.
That is the difference that matters. A Speaker has to win on the open House floor. A minority leader does not. The Congressional Research Service describes the minority leader as "elected by the minority party caucus or conference at organizational meetings prior to the start of a new Congress," in its report on House party leaders. Tuesday's 106 votes settle it. The two dozen or so Republicans who blocked Jordan in 2023 get no second vote.
Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, at a House Judiciary Committee hearing on DHS oversight, March 4, 2026. DHS photo by Mikaela McGee, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).
Where was Trump?
On the sidelines, by his own account. Trump said he was staying out of the House race, Spectrum reported. That is a change from 2023, when he endorsed Jordan for Speaker, a backing the AP says carried weight with many members. In the Senate, John Thune was re-elected Republican leader with no challenger after Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin pushed to delay the vote and walked out as voting began.
What Jordan actually inherits
A small conference with a big job. Jordan and Scalise's totals add up to 179, and the count is not finished: 270toWin listed 19 House races still uncalled as of Nov. 10, including two Louisiana runoffs on Dec. 12. Roll Call reports Democrats will hold more than 250 seats, and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries predicts at least 255. The AP says Jeffries is expected to become Speaker.
Roll Call also reports that Jordan is expected to work with White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller on pushing back against Democratic investigations of Trump, his officials and his family. That is the job House Republicans just hired for. The new team takes over when the 120th Congress convenes Jan. 3, and the man who could not get past 200 votes on the floor in 2023 will be the one standing up to a Democratic majority that, by its own leader's count, could top 255.
Header photo: Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, chairs a House Judiciary Committee hearing, March 4, 2026. DHS photo by Mikaela McGee, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).
