Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan’s (R-OH) election as minority leader represents a quiet admission from House Republicans that the conference needed a new playbook if they hope to rebuild after the 2026 midterm elections.
Republicans on Tuesday declined the seasoned experience of Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), who has served in leadership since 2014 and as the No. 2 House Republican under Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) for the last two years.
Instead, the waning conference elected Jordan, a bomb-throwing Republican who, just a few years ago, was considered too toxic to serve in GOP leadership. Jordan won with an overwhelming margin, garnering 106 votes to Scalise’s 73.
Jordan pitched himself as the fighter needed for rebuilding the Republican conference, which will see its numbers drop by more than 40 in January.
“Republicans will fight for American families. Democrats offer more government. We’ll offer more freedom. We will bring that fight in committee, on the floor, and on the stump every single day,” Jordan said at a press conference following the leadership elections.
Jordan’s victory marked the sole major leadership shake-up of the conference that otherwise chose to stick with the status quo, showcasing the rank-and-file members’ desire for a change in pace.
A House Republican, granted anonymity to speak candidly, told the Washington Examiner that the decision from the conference to elect Jordan showcased that the “direction at the top needed to change,” and that Scalise’s decade in GOP leadership was “held against him.”
Rep. Troy Downing (R-MT) similarly said the vote result was not a result of “anything that Scalise did wrong.”
“I think sometimes when things go really sideways, people look for new voices,” Downing said.
The incoming minority leader was a founder of the conservative House Freedom Caucus and served as its first chairman. Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA), who referred to Scalise and Johnson as being like brothers to him, told the Washington Examiner that there was a “certain purity” to Jordan’s victory because it “represents the ascension of the Freedom Caucus, and that’s important.”
Jordan will now be faced with the difficult task of leading a small House minority conference with both chambers under Democratic leadership. Democrats are expected to launch an aggressive investigative agenda into President Donald Trump and his administration, a fact Jordan was able to successfully use to argue his qualifications for the minority leader role.
“Jim’s a fighter, and we’ve all known him for 20 years on TV pushing that agenda, and he’ll have an incredible opportunity to bring us back to the majority with his aggressive style, which I think people are looking for,” Rep. Mike Haridopolos (R-FL) told the Washington Examiner. “I think a lot more people are frustrated with the Senate than they were with the House because we passed so much.”
Vice Chairman Blake Moore (R-UT), who ran unopposed for the position in the next Congress, described Jordan as “somebody that’s earned a ton of trust from people, me included.”
“He’s just been able to be somebody that’s done all the right things,” Moore said. “He’s been so supportive of everybody from every district across the country, and incredibly, like he’s just been a strong leader in the conference anyway.”
Jordan will lead the conference alongside Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) and GOP Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-MI), who are both retaining their current positions. The current National Republican Congressional Committee chairman, Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC), lost his seat in the midterm elections, with Rep. Brian Jack (R-GA) winning the battle to succeed Hudson as NRCC chairman in the 120th Congress.
“With this House Republican team, I am confident we will win back the trust and confidence of the American people in short order. We will undo the damage and chaos caused by these radicals, and we will retake the majority in 2028,” Emmer said, projecting confidence for the future of the conference that took a major hit last week.
Along with Emmer, McClain aimed to show her commitment to retaking the majority in 2028, focusing on rebuilding based on the concerns voiced by lawmakers in the conference. She spoke about how she will challenge Democratic policies, giving voters a “compelling reason to put Republicans back in charge.”
“There were important conversations about the future of our conference, and I listened. I heard the concerns raised by members, and I intend to act on them. Now that the election is behind us, we are one conference, and we have one mission: to earn back the trust of the American people and take back this House,” McClain said.
In a postelection press conference, Johnson spoke to the message that the conference is sending by electing Jordan over Scalise, Johnson’s No. 2. Johnson said the election of Jordan is “a sign of the members’ confidence in him.”
JIM JORDAN BEATS STEVE SCALISE TO BECOME HOUSE MINORITY LEADER
“Jim is a known entity, a trusted voice, a trusted leader. He’s an honest broker. He’s a good man. He’s a fighter, and I think that’s the signal that is being sent here: that we are ready to dig in for the fight,” Johnson said.
House Republicans will vote on Wednesday on their rules package for the 120th Congress.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
