House Republicans pick Jim Jordan over Steve Scalise as minority leader, 106-73

House Republicans elected Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan as their next leader on Tuesday. The vote followed heavy losses in last week's midterm elections ¹². Jordan chairs the House Judiciary Committee and is a close ally of President Trump ³.

Jordan beat House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana in a secret ballot, 106-73, according to Newsweek. Sources familiar with the tally gave CBS News the same count ²³. Punchbowl News first reported the result, according to The Guardian ¹.

On tapeABC News · Nov 10

▶6:07

A choice after big losses

Republicans lost more than 40 House seats, CBS News reported ³. The party's answer was not to move toward the center. Newsweek wrote that it elevated a longtime Trump ally who has built his career challenging Democrats and, at times, his own party's leadership ².

Jordan, a founding member of the House Freedom Caucus, will now try to hold together a smaller GOP conference. He will also have to counter the incoming Democratic majority ². He will lead Republicans for the last two years of Trump's presidency ¹.

From Channel GOPMike Johnson says polls were wildly inaccurateMike Johnson · 575 plays · captioned, with the source named

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 majority

Scalise made a different case in his own letter to colleagues. He has held leadership roles since 2014 and became majority leader in 2023 ³.

This is no doubt a challenging time for our conference, but overcoming adversity is nothing new to me

A rematch of 2023

The result reverses the two men's 2023 contest. After Kevin McCarthy was removed as speaker, Scalise defeated Jordan in an internal vote. Scalise then withdrew before a House floor vote ².

On tapeThe Hill · Nov 10

▶1:57

Republicans then nominated Jordan, but he could not win enough support to become speaker after three rounds of voting ². Mike Johnson, then a little-known conservative, won the job instead. The conference voted unanimously to make him speaker ³.

What happens next

Johnson is stepping down from leadership. He has been noncommittal in recent days about his long-term future in Congress ³.

Democrats take control of Congress in January ¹. Jordan's job will be to lead the opposition and, as Newsweek put it, to position Republicans to compete for the House again in 2028 ².

That matters because the party that just lost the House has chosen its most combative voice instead of a veteran member of the current leadership team ²³. The pattern is that House Republicans are doubling down, not rethinking. Voters will see the results of that choice over the next two years.

The Record

1. Oct 1, 2023After Kevin McCarthy's ouster, Scalise beat Jordan in an internal vote for speaker and then withdrew. Jordan later failed in three floor votes, and Mike Johnson became speaker ²³.
2. Nov 3, 2026Republicans lost more than 40 House seats in the midterm elections ³.
3. Nov 10, 2026House Republicans elected Jordan minority leader over Scalise, 106-73, in a secret ballot ²³.

Free to reprint Republish this story on your site or in your newsletter

Any site, blog or newsletter may run this story free of charge. Keep the credit line and its link to the original, do not sell it, and edit only for length or house style (the full terms). Photos carry their own licenses, noted under each photo on this page, so use the text alone unless a credit says otherwise.

<h2>House Republicans pick Jim Jordan over Steve Scalise as minority leader, 106-73</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Capitol Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/house-republicans-pick-jim-jordan-over-steve-scalise-as-minority-leader-106-73">The GOP Files</a> on Tuesday, November 10, 2026.</em></p> <p>House Republicans elected Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan as their next leader on Tuesday. The vote followed heavy losses in last week&#39;s midterm elections . Jordan chairs the House Judiciary Committee and is a close ally of President Trump .</p> <p>Jordan beat House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana in a secret ballot, 106-73, according to Newsweek. Sources familiar with the tally gave CBS News the same count . Punchbowl News first reported the result, according to The Guardian .</p> <h2>A choice after big losses</h2> <p>Republicans lost more than 40 House seats, CBS News reported . The party&#39;s answer was not to move toward the center. Newsweek wrote that it elevated a longtime Trump ally who has built his career challenging Democrats and, at times, his own party&#39;s leadership .</p> <p>Jordan, a founding member of the House Freedom Caucus, will now try to hold together a smaller GOP conference. He will also have to counter the incoming Democratic majority . He will lead Republicans for the last two years of Trump&#39;s presidency .</p> <blockquote><p>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 majority</p><p>&mdash; Jim Jordan, Judiciary Committee chairman, Republican of Ohio</p></blockquote> <p>Scalise made a different case in his own letter to colleagues. He has held leadership roles since 2014 and became majority leader in 2023 .</p> <blockquote><p>This is no doubt a challenging time for our conference, but overcoming adversity is nothing new to me</p><p>&mdash; Steve Scalise, House Majority Leader, Republican of Louisiana</p></blockquote> <h2>A rematch of 2023</h2> <p>The result reverses the two men&#39;s 2023 contest. After Kevin McCarthy was removed as speaker, Scalise defeated Jordan in an internal vote. Scalise then withdrew before a House floor vote .</p> <p>Republicans then nominated Jordan, but he could not win enough support to become speaker after three rounds of voting . Mike Johnson, then a little-known conservative, won the job instead. The conference voted unanimously to make him speaker .</p> <h2>What happens next</h2> <p>Johnson is stepping down from leadership. He has been noncommittal in recent days about his long-term future in Congress .</p> <p>Democrats take control of Congress in January . Jordan&#39;s job will be to lead the opposition and, as Newsweek put it, to position Republicans to compete for the House again in 2028 .</p> <p>That matters because the party that just lost the House has chosen its most combative voice instead of a veteran member of the current leadership team . The pattern is that House Republicans are doubling down, not rethinking. Voters will see the results of that choice over the next two years.</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/house-republicans-pick-jim-jordan-over-steve-scalise-as-minority-leader-106-73">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/house-republicans-pick-jim-jordan-over-steve-scalise-as-minority-leader-106-73.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

Copy the HTML Paste it into your editor's HTML view. The one-pixel image at the end tells our newsroom the story ran; it stores no reader data.

Sources

1. The Guardian, “Republicans elect Jim Jordan as House minority leader after midterm defeats” (2026-11-10). theguardian.com/us-news/2026/nov/10/jim-jordan-house-republi
2. Newsweek, “Republican Congressman Jim Jordan Elected as New House Minority Leader” (2026-11-10). newsweek.com/jim-jordan-house-minority-leader-republicans-12
3. CBS News, “House GOP elects Jim Jordan as next leader in major shakeup” (2026-11-10). cbsnews.com/news/jim-jordan-house-minority-leader-republican

Found an error? Tell the newsroom. Corrections are noted at the top of the story.