Rep. Jim Jordan formally entered the race for House minority leader Wednesday, setting up a contest with Majority Leader Steve Scalise after Speaker Mike Johnson said he will not seek the job.
What happened
House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan, an Ohio Republican, sent a letter to colleagues Wednesday announcing he will run to lead House Republicans next year. CBS News and ABC News, which obtained the letter, reported that Jordan wrote Republicans must learn from the midterm results and prepare for an emboldened Democratic majority.
Speaker Mike Johnson told staff on a Wednesday morning call that he will not run for minority leader, according to CBS News and Axios. Johnson will keep his Louisiana House seat as a rank-and-file member.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana has told colleagues he also intends to seek the top Republican post, Fox News and Axios reported.
Key facts
- House Republicans plan leadership elections on Nov. 10. Candidates must declare by Nov. 6 at noon, ABC News reported.
- The minority leader needs a majority of House Republicans in a secret-ballot vote.
- Democrats won the House on Tuesday, so the next top House Republican will lead the minority starting in January.
- Jordan chairs Judiciary. Scalise has spent more than a decade in House GOP leadership.
How each side frames it
Jordan cast himself as ready for oversight fights. “I am battle-tested on the oversight front and I know the Democrats’ playbook,” he wrote in the letter quoted by Axios and CBS News. He also said the conference needs a team that is “active and engaged, forward-thinking and straight shooting.”
A person familiar with Scalise’s plans told Fox News and Axios that Scalise’s top goal is leading Republicans back into the majority. That person described him as a proven leader who has unified Republicans for legislative and oversight battles.
Some House Republicans told Fox News they want an entirely new leadership team after the losses. “They should all step aside and let new people run,” one GOP lawmaker said. Axios reported that Republican Study Committee Chair August Pfluger of Texas plans to challenge Majority Whip Tom Emmer for whip.
Democratic leaders have not weighed in on the Republican contest. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, in line to become speaker if Democrats keep their majority, posted on X Wednesday: “Too big to rig. Thank you, America.”
What comes next
House Republicans vote next week. President Donald Trump has not publicly endorsed a candidate. Lawmakers are watching whether he does, Axios reported.
Whoever wins will help set how House Republicans respond to Democratic investigations of the Trump administration over the final two years of his term.
Sources: CBS News, ABC News, Axios, Fox News, Hakeem Jeffries on X
