WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — House Republicans elected Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio to lead their conference in the next Congress, choosing the Judiciary Committee chairman over Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana in a secret ballot Tuesday. Jordan won 106 votes to Scalise’s 73.
The vote gives Jordan the task of leading Republicans after Democrats won control of the House and Senate in last week’s midterms. Democrats flipped more than 40 Republican-held House seats. When the new Congress convenes Jan. 3, they will control the chamber’s agenda and committee chairmanships, while Republicans will have to organize from the minority.
Jordan made congressional oversight central to his campaign for the leadership post. In a letter to colleagues, he said Republicans needed a coordinated plan to respond to the incoming Democratic majority. He argued the party should do more than criticize Democratic proposals. After his win, he said Republicans would make their case in committee, on the House floor and on the campaign trail.
Jordan, 62, has chaired the House Judiciary Committee since 2023. Before that, he served as the top Republican on the House Oversight Committee. He also co-founded the House Freedom Caucus, a group of conservative lawmakers that has often pressed party leaders to take a harder line. His experience on those committees will shape his role as Democrats prepare investigations of President Donald Trump and his administration.
Scalise built his pitch around his years in leadership and his record raising money for House Republicans. He has held senior party posts since 2014, serving as whip before becoming majority leader in 2023. He proposed task forces to hear from voters and develop policy on issues such as Social Security and Medicare. He told colleagues he raised $67.9 million for the midterm campaign, with about a third going directly to House candidates and the party’s campaign committee.
Scalise, 61, also cited his recovery from a 2017 shooting at a congressional baseball practice and his treatment for multiple myeloma, a blood cancer. “Overcoming adversity is nothing new to me,” he told colleagues. The leadership vote ended a contest between two lawmakers who have already faced off for a top job: both sought the speakership after Republicans removed Kevin McCarthy in 2023. Neither secured enough support, and Republicans eventually elected Mike Johnson.
Johnson announced last week that he would not run for minority leader after Republicans lost the House. His decision opened the contest between Jordan and Scalise. President Donald Trump said he would stay out of the race.
Jordan’s election makes him the Republican leader in the House, but it does not make him speaker. The full House elects the speaker when the new Congress begins. Democrats are expected to nominate Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. As the majority, Democrats will choose committee chairs and set the floor schedule; Jordan will lead the Republican conference, negotiate with Democrats and coordinate his members’ response to legislation and investigations.
Republicans also filled two other leadership posts. Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota defeated Rep. August Pfluger of Texas to keep the whip position, which helps leadership count votes and organize members. Rep. Lisa McClain of Michigan retained the conference chair post, defeating Reps. Erin Houchin of Indiana and Greg Steube of Florida.
The results put Jordan at the center of the House GOP’s next decisions: how to respond to Democratic oversight, whether to negotiate on legislation and how to rebuild support before the 2028 elections. The secret-ballot vote settled who will lead the conference; Republicans still face the harder work of deciding what strategy can win back the House.
