Republicans Elect Jim Jordan After Sweeping Midterm Losses
Republicans elected Jim Jordan as House minority leader and John Thune as Senate leader after losing control of both chambers to Democrats in the midterm elections.
Republicans suffered sweeping losses in the midterm elections, losing 30 House seats, eight Senate seats, and five governorships to Democrats. The defeats, driven by significant losses among independents, Latino voters, and voters under 30, will result in Democrats assuming control of both the House and the Senate in January.
Despite the losses, Donald Trump consolidated his influence over the party. He replaced White House chief of staff Susie Wiles with Stephen Miller. In Washington, House Republicans elected hard-line ally Jim Jordan as minority leader, while Senate Republicans backed John Thune after a failed attempt by Senator Josh Hawley to delay the election.
Internal party reactions to the defeat were divided. House Speaker Mike Johnson claimed voters made the "wrong choice," while others, including Richard Hudson, cited a failure to connect with voters on inflation and rural healthcare. The party further demonstrated unity with the president by overwhelmingly blocking an effort to impeach Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, despite an unpopular war in Iran.
While the party leadership remains aligned with the president, a Reuters/Ipsos poll indicates a majority of Republican voters want the next presidential candidate to take a different approach to governing than Trump. Potential successors, including JD Vance and Ted Cruz, received low excellent ratings from the party base.
