House Republicans elected Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio as their leader on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, defeating Majority Leader Steve Scalise after the party’s midterm losses. The vote was 106 to 73 in a secret ballot, according to The Hindu. CBS News US reported the same tally, citing sources familiar with the count.
The result follows a difficult week for the party. Republicans lost control of both chambers of Congress in last week’s elections, and House Republicans lost more than 40 House seats, according to CBS News US. House Speaker Mike Johnson announced he is stepping down from leadership, according to The Hindu.
Jordan, 62, is a founding member of the hardline House Freedom Caucus. Axios described his victory as a bet by House Republicans on a "fighter," though Axios was available to this outlet only as a headline and short excerpt, so its full account is not confirmed. Both Jordan and Scalise are staunch allies of President Trump, but Trump declined to endorse either candidate, according to the reporting.
Jordan and Scalise both sought the House speakership after Kevin McCarthy was ousted in 2023. Mike Johnson won that post instead. The Hindu reported that Jordan lost three House floor votes in that contest and that former Speaker John Boehner once called him a "legislative terrorist." That account comes from The Hindu alone and has not been confirmed by other outlets in the sources reviewed.
Jordan has chaired the House Judiciary Committee since 2023 and has represented Ohio in Congress since 2007. The sources reviewed did not include a response from Scalise or his camp to the result.
In the Senate, Republicans reelected John Thune as their leader and kept their existing leadership team, according to The Hindu. Thune becomes Senate minority leader in January.
Jordan will lead House Republicans’ opposition to the incoming Democratic majority over the next two years. Johnson’s future in Congress is undecided. CBS News US reported that he has been noncommittal, and the sources reviewed did not include a response from him on the matter. Brian Jack will replace Richard Hudson, who lost his reelection race, as chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee.
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This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.