House Republicans to Choose Between Scalise and Jordan for Minority Leader
House Republicans will meet behind closed doors on Tuesday to pick their next leader, one week after losing the House majority in the midterm elections. The choice is between House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan, and the winner will succeed Mike Johnson as the top House Republican.
The party's top House leader becomes the minority leader when a party no longer controls the chamber. Democrats flipped more than 40 Republican seats to win back the House majority in the 2026 midterms, according to NPR.
Scalise has served as the No. 2 House Republican since 2023. Jordan is an Ohio Republican and a co-founder of the House Freedom Caucus.
The leadership election will be held by secret ballot, which means members will cast their votes privately.
The contest is a rematch of a race from 2023. In that year, both men sought to succeed Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House. Republicans ultimately voted for Mike Johnson.
