House Republicans elect Jim Jordan as next minority leader, defeating Steve Scalise

House Republicans on Tuesday elected Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio as their leader for the next Congress. He will serve as minority leader. Republicans lost control of the House to Democrats in last week's midterm elections. Democrats will take control in the new Congress beginning next year.

Jordan, 62, defeated Rep. Steve Scalise, the current House majority leader. The vote took place in a closed-door meeting, which Al Jazeera described as a secret ballot. The Guardian reported the result as 106 to 73. The South China Morning Post gave the same figure, citing multiple media reports that quoted people who attended the meeting. The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not include an official tally from the Republican conference.

Jordan will succeed House Speaker Mike Johnson as the chamber's top Republican. According to The Guardian, Johnson said after the midterm defeats that he would not remain in leadership. He has not committed to serving out his term.

According to The Guardian, Democrats will hold a House majority of more than 80 seats and a Senate majority of at least 10 seats. Al Jazeera reported that Democrats flipped at least 40 seats nationwide.

Jordan co-founded the House Freedom Caucus. In 2023, after Kevin McCarthy was removed as speaker, Jordan made a short-lived, unsuccessful bid for the post. He has used his committee chairmanship to pursue allegations of "weaponisation" of government against Trump, including investigating former special counsel Jack Smith. Al Jazeera reports that since 2023 he has taken a less adversarial approach and aligned himself with Johnson's leadership.

According to The Guardian, Jordan repeated Trump's claims of fraud in the 2020 election, which The Guardian describes as false. The Guardian also reported that the House committee investigating the 6 January attack subpoenaed Jordan in 2021 and that he did not comply. Jordan called the subpoena an inappropriate and unprecedented demand.

Jordan was an assistant wrestling coach at Ohio State University. He has faced allegations that he knew of sexual abuse of student-athletes by team physician Dr Richard Strauss. Jordan has denied the allegations.

What is disputed

The Guardian and the South China Morning Post say Jordan chairs the House Judiciary Committee. Al Jazeera says he chairs the House Oversight Committee. The reports also differ on when he was first elected to Congress: 2006 (The Guardian) or 2007 (Al Jazeera).

What each side says

In a letter to colleagues reported by Al Jazeera, Jordan wrote: "I know what it will take to lead our Conference in the minority, to stay unified, and to coordinate and calibrate our response to the Democrats’ tactics."

Rep. Andy Harris, chairman of the Freedom Caucus, said in a statement: "Jim is exactly the right man for the job to fight back against the radical, crazy agenda of Democrats."

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna backed Jordan. The Guardian quoted her as saying: "If you have a play and you get destroyed, you don’t put the same people back in charge that were part of running that failed play."

Democratic Rep. Don Beyer said, according to The Guardian: "Republicans learned absolutely nothing from what happened a week ago, and are responding by elevating their most extreme voices to positions of power."

According to The Guardian, four former Ohio State wrestlers said this month that Jordan was unqualified to become speaker of the House.

Analysis

Jordan takes over a conference that is smaller and in the minority. His letter stresses unity and a coordinated response to Democrats. Supporters such as Harris and Luna frame his election as a call for a more combative approach. Critics, including Democrats and some former Ohio State wrestlers, point to his record and the Strauss allegations, which Jordan denies. One possible path is a sharper opposition strategy against a Democratic majority. Another is the shift toward cooperation with leadership that Al Jazeera has described. McCarthy's comments suggest that how Republicans explain the midterm result could shape their effort to regain the majority.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.

Transparency note: objections from our AI reviewers

Objections raised before publication:

• Tribunal: Loaded term: "radical"
• Vocemundi automatic checks: Review panel verdict: needs revision; support level 1.0

No reviewer declined to review it.

Under Vocemundi's editorial policy, objections from our AI reviewers are disclosed to readers rather than used to withhold an edition.