House Republicans pick Jim Jordan as minority leader for next Congress
The gist
House Republicans elected Jim Jordan minority leader, beating Steve Scalise 106-73 in a closed-door secret ballot.
Jordan's win signals a more confrontational GOP as Democrats take both chambers in January.
How it unfolded
- Oct 27, 2026House Republicans scheduled leadership elections for Nov. 10, with members given until Nov. 6 at noon to declare whether they would run.
- Nov 6, 2026American voters flipped control of both chambers of Congress from Republicans to Democrats.
- Nov 9, 2026Al Jazeera reported the biggest House contest was for minority leader, with Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan competing; Speaker Mike Johnson said he would not seek the post and would remain a House member.
Key terms
- minority leader
- A U.S. senator chosen by their party caucus to serve as chief spokesperson and leader of the chamber's majority party.
- GOP
- The Republican Party, one of the two major political parties in the United States.
- House Freedom Caucus
- A congressional caucus of conservative Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives, considered the chamber's most conservative bloc.
Source: Wikipedia