Jim Jordan and Steve Scalise Vie for House GOP Leadership
House Republicans will elect a new minority leader on November 10 after Speaker Mike Johnson declined to run following significant midterm election losses.
House Speaker Mike Johnson announced Wednesday that he will not seek the position of House minority leader after Republicans lost control of both the House and Senate in the Tuesday midterm elections. While Johnson won reelection to his seat in Louisiana, he will step down from party leadership in January. Democrats flipped 31 House seats and seven Senate seats, securing at least 240 House seats and 54 Senate seats.
The vacancy has triggered a leadership contest between House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan. Scalise is positioning himself as a seasoned leader capable of unifying the party and using procedural tools to disrupt the Democratic agenda. Jordan has presented himself as a battle-tested alternative to the existing hierarchy, calling for an offensive strategy to restore the Republican majority.
Other leadership battles are emerging, with Republican Study Chair August Pfluger challenging Majority Whip Tom Emmer for the whip position, and Representative Rudy Yakym running for National Republican Congressional Committee chair. House Republicans will elect their new leadership team via secret ballot on November 10, with a candidate declaration deadline this Friday.
House Democrats are preparing to nominate Hakeem Jeffries for Speaker of the House, with the official election scheduled for January 3, 2027. Jeffries described the victory as a stunning rebuke of MAGA extremism. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis characterized the GOP losses as close to an extinction-level event for the party in many parts of the country.
