Jim Jordan Beats Steve Scalise 106-73 to Lead House Republicans in Minority

House Republicans chose Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio as their next leader on Tuesday, handing the combative chairman of the House Judiciary Committee a 106-73 secret-ballot victory over Majority Leader Steve Scalise and putting one of President Donald Trump's most vocal defenders in charge of a party heading into the minority. Jordan will become minority leader when the new Congress convenes on January 3, 2027, leading a shrunken Republican conference after Democrats swept the November 3 midterms.

Key Points

• Rep. Jim Jordan defeated Majority Leader Steve Scalise 106 votes to 73 in a closed-door secret ballot on Tuesday, November 10, 2026.
• Jordan, 62, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and a founder of the Freedom Caucus, will serve as House minority leader in the next Congress.
• Democrats will hold at least 254 House seats to at least 165 for Republicans, per the Associated Press, reversing the GOP's 219-214 majority.
• The vote followed Speaker Mike Johnson's decision on November 4 not to seek the minority leader post after the midterm rout.
• Jordan becomes the party's lead defender as Democrats prepare investigations into Trump, his Cabinet and his family.

What Happened

House Republicans gathered behind closed doors on Tuesday for a leadership election that will shape the party's direction for the next two years. The voting body was made up of incumbent House Republicans and Republican members-elect projected to win their races, and the ballots were cast in secret, with the result reported by sources in the room to Fox News Digital and the Wall Street Journal. Jordan won 106 votes to Scalise's 73, a margin of 33 votes that gave him a clear majority of the conference without being a landslide.

The two men had pitched themselves to their colleagues at a candidate forum on Tuesday morning, each arguing he was the best person to unify a conference that had just lost dozens of seats and its majority in a single night. Scalise, the Louisiana majority leader, entered the race backed by much of the party's existing leadership structure. Jordan, by contrast, ran as an outsider to that structure, even after years as one of the most visible Republicans in Washington. The result was a rebuke of the old leadership team and a bet on the combative style Jordan has built his career on.

Background: A Party Reeling From the Midterm Rout

The leadership vote was the first big decision House Republicans have made since the November 3, 2026 midterms, taken against a backdrop of recrimination and blame. Democrats won the House with at least 254 seats to at least 165 for Republicans, a swing that erased the GOP's 219-214 majority and left the party searching for what went wrong. Voters cited rising living costs, inflation, immigration policy and the war with Iran as they turned against the party in power.

Jordan's path to the leadership is the culmination of a long rise from the party's right flank. A founder of the House Freedom Caucus, he built a national profile as one of Trump's most loyal defenders, leading the Judiciary Committee's investigations of the Biden administration before chairing the committee. His supporters say that record makes him the right person to lead the opposition to a Democratic House.

Jim Jordan, House GOP Leader: What His Win Means for the Party

Jordan's victory puts a fighter at the head of the Republican conference at the moment it most needs one, in the view of his supporters, and a polarising figure in the view of his critics. As minority leader, he will set the party's strategy against a Democratic majority that has promised aggressive oversight of the Trump administration, including investigations into the president's Cabinet, his family and his business interests. That role plays to Jordan's strengths: as Judiciary chairman he has run high-profile investigations for years, and he is one of the few Republicans with a national media presence rivalling the president's own.

But the 73 votes for Scalise show the conference is not united behind its new leader: more than 40 percent backed the establishment candidate, and Jordan must win over colleagues who preferred a different style.

Reactions and Quotes

Representative Warren Davidson, an Ohio Republican, praised Jordan's rise from outside the leadership structure, saying Jordan "hasn't been part of the leadership team" and "rose through the ranks because he was super effective." Davidson's comment captured his supporters' case: effectiveness in the fight, not seniority, should decide who leads now.

Representative Scott Fitzgerald of Wisconsin also praised Jordan's communication skills. Trump, who stayed out of the race publicly, has not commented on the outcome. The president told reporters last week that he would not intervene in the leadership contest, saying "We'll stay out of it."

Why It Matters

Jordan's election signals how House Republicans intend to spend the next two years. A party in the minority has few tools beyond its voice, and Jordan's election is a decision to use that voice loudly, confronting the Democratic majority at every turn rather than seeking accommodation with it.

It also matters for the investigations Democrats are preparing and for the 2028 elections. With the House in Democratic hands from January, the party plans to scrutinise the Trump administration's Cabinet, its handling of the war with Iran and the president's family business interests. The minority leader is traditionally the face of the effort to win back the House, and Jordan's performance will shape whether Republicans look like a credible alternative government.

What Happens Next

Jordan will formally take over as minority leader when the new Congress convenes on January 3, 2027. Between now and then, the conference will elect the rest of its leadership team, and Jordan will build the staff and strategy he needs for the minority. Scalise has not said whether he will seek another leadership post.

Democrats will complete their own leadership elections in the coming weeks. The race was a rematch of the 2023 speakership fight, when Scalise beat Jordan in the internal vote but neither man won the floor. Read more: Mike Johnson steps aside after midterm rout and Stutzman backs Jordan for House GOP leader.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won the House Republican leadership election?
Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio beat Majority Leader Steve Scalise 106-73 in a secret ballot on Tuesday, November 10, 2026.

When does Jim Jordan become minority leader?
Jordan takes over when the new Congress convenes on January 3, 2027, with Democrats holding at least 254 House seats to at least 165 for Republicans.

Why did Mike Johnson not run for the job?
Speaker Mike Johnson told his staff on November 4 that he would not seek the minority leader post after Democrats swept the midterms. Read more: Johnson steps aside after midterm rout.

How many votes did Jordan need to win?
Incumbent House Republicans and Republican members-elect projected to win voted by secret ballot. Jordan won 106 votes to Scalise's 73, a margin of 33.

What was the 2023 fight between Jordan and Scalise?
The race was a rematch of the 2023 speakership fight, when Scalise beat Jordan in the internal vote but neither man won the floor. Read more: Trump stays out of House GOP leadership race.