Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, is seen ahead of a meeting Tuesday with House Republicans, where they elected their party’s leadership for the 120th Congress. Jordan emerged from a two-man contest victorious, and will lead Republicans as they navigate life in the minority.
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
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Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
House Republicans have selected Rep. Jim Jordan as their next minority leader.
In Jordan, 62, Republicans have chosen a veteran of both the House Oversight and House Judiciary committees — two panels poised to play a central role in the new Congress as Democrats plan for a long list of investigations into President Trump and his administration.
The choice to succeed Mike Johnson, R-La., as the top House Republican was between Jordan, a co-founder of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus, and current House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La.
Tuesday’s election, conducted via secret ballot, offered rank-and-file Republicans a choice as to how they want to navigate life in the minority, as they look to regroup from a staggering defeat that saw Democrats flip more than 40 GOP seats.
Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, left, and Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., confer during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, June 8, 2022. The two GOP leaders have emerged as contenders for the top Republican post in the House after losing the majority to Democrats in the midterm elections.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP/AP
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J. Scott Applewhite/AP/AP
A former college wrestling coach known for his pugilistic style, Jordan pitched an aggressive posture to his colleagues, writing that “offense, not defense, wins elections.”
“For too long, we have operated without a clear plan to survive the hour or the day in front of us. That will not cut it against an emboldened and energetic Democratic party,” Jordan said in a letter to colleagues last week, taking a swipe at the House leadership team led by Johnson and Scalise.
“I am battle-tested on the oversight front and I know the Democrats’ playbook,” he added.
The House Freedom Caucus celebrated Jordan’s win, calling him a “fierce fighter.”
“Jim is exactly the right man for the job to fight back against the radical, crazy agenda of Democrats,” Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., said in a statement.
Jordan’s pitch stood in contrast to what Scalise, 61, offered. Scalise has been the No. 2 House Republican since 2023, and has served in broader GOP leadership roles for more than 10 years. He’s seen as more moderate than Jordan, and in a letter to colleagues announcing his candidacy, the close Trump ally said his approach to the job would be “conservative and consensus-driven.”
“My number one goal as Republican Leader will be to win back the majority and I expect you to hold me accountable to that mission,” Scalise wrote. “To succeed, we will need to be effective in both the oversight and legislative fights ahead, but we will also need to lay out a clear and optimistic vision for America.”
The contest between Jordan and Scalise was a rematch from 2023. Back then, Jordan and Scalise were vying to succeed Kevin McCarthy. After multiple candidates failed to secure enough votes, Republicans ultimately voted for Johnson.
Leslie Shedd, a Republican strategist, said ahead of the vote that candidates needed to break through a process that can be like “family-on-family violence.”
“It’s really important … to lay out a very clear, substantive vision of how they plan to lead this conference out of what is now a desert,” she said.
John Leganski, who was an aide to McCarthy, said that the size of Democrats’ victory last week will limit leverage for Republicans under the eventual House minority leader when the new Congress is seated in January.
“I think whoever wins your job is to … number one, try to win back to the House,” he said. “And number two, make life as difficult for the Democrats as possible, largely by voting no.”