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House Republicans picked their next leader on Tuesday, November 10. One week after losing the House in the midterm elections, the party's members met behind closed doors to choose who will lead them into the minority — and the contest was a rematch between two men who have fought over the job before.

The result

Jim Jordan of Ohio won the secret-ballot vote on Tuesday, November 10, defeating Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana 106 votes to 73, according to the Associated Press and Reuters. Jordan, the House Judiciary Committee chairman and a co-founder of the House Freedom Caucus, will lead House Republicans as minority leader when the 120th Congress convenes on January 3, 2027.

In the other leadership races, incumbent Tom Emmer of Minnesota was elected minority whip, beating August Pfluger of Texas 103 votes to 76, according to Politico. Lisa McClain of Michigan won re-election as conference chair.

Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana faced Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio in a secret-ballot vote of the House Republican Conference. The winner needed a simple majority of the conference, and takes over as the party's leader — and its nominee for speaker — when the new Congress convenes on January 3, 2027.

Why the job is open

Speaker Mike Johnson announced on November 4 that he will not seek the minority leader post in the next Congress. Johnson told his staff on a call that morning, citing the toll the job had taken on his family, according to reports from the Associated Press and Axios. He won re-election to his Louisiana seat and is expected to stay in the House as a rank-and-file member.

The vacancy opened because Democrats won control of the House in the November 3 midterm elections. Democrats will hold at least 254 of the House's 435 seats when the 120th Congress is sworn in, according to Al Jazeera, and at least 54 of the Senate's 100 seats. Decision Desk HQ projects a wider split — 258 Democrats to 177 Republicans in the House — but final counts are still being tallied, so that figure remains a projection.

That makes the job on the ballot today minority leader, not speaker. Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries is expected to take the speaker's gavel in January.

Scalise vs Jordan: the two pitches

Steve Scalise, 61, is pitching continuity and experience. He has been majority leader for the past three years, serving as the second in command to Johnson, and before that was majority whip from 2014 to 2018 and minority whip from 2019 to 2022 — the last time Republicans held this exact position. His allies argue he is the steady hand who can keep a bruised conference united and chart a path back to the majority. According to Axios, Scalise's allies went into Tuesday increasingly confident, with Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida saying calls to delay the leadership elections suggested Jordan's supporters might not have enough votes.

Jim Jordan is pitching change. The Ohio lawmaker, a founding member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus and chairman of the Judiciary Committee since 2023, described himself in a letter to colleagues as "battle-tested" and argued he could better coordinate the party's response to Democrat-led investigations into the Trump administration. His case is that last week's losses call for a shake-up at the top, not the same leadership team. Rep. Marlin Stutzman of Indiana endorsed Jordan on November 5, saying the party needs new leaders after its midterm losses.

Neither candidate has a publicly confirmed endorsement from the president. President Trump told reporters he will not get involved in picking the next House GOP leader.

A rematch from 2023

The two men have been here before. After Kevin McCarthy was removed as speaker in October 2023, both sought the speakership. Scalise won the internal nomination vote on October 11, 2023, beating Jordan 113 votes to 99, but withdrew days later when it became clear he could not unite the conference on the House floor. Jordan then won the nomination but lost three consecutive floor votes. Johnson eventually emerged as the compromise candidate.

This time the stakes are different. The winner does not need to assemble a floor majority — only a majority of the Republican conference, voting in secret.

The other races on the ballot

The leadership vote is not just about the top job. Several other positions are contested today:

• Minority whip: incumbent Tom Emmer of Minnesota beat August Pfluger of Texas, who chairs the Republican Study Committee, 103 votes to 76. Pfluger had argued the party needs "fresh ideas" and a clearer strategy to win back the House in 2028.
• Conference chair: incumbent Lisa McClain of Michigan won re-election, beating Erin Houchin of Indiana and Greg Steube of Florida.
• NRCC chair: Rudy Yakym of Indiana and Brian Jack of Georgia are competing to lead the House Republicans' campaign arm.

The Senate held its own leadership elections the same day. Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota is seeking to stay on as the party's leader — which would make him minority leader in January — and has faced no public challenger. John Barrasso of Wyoming is expected to seek another term as whip. There has been pushback on timing: Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin has pressed to delay the Senate vote to give Republicans more time to assess the election results, with support from Senator Mike Lee of Utah.

What happens next

With the result decided, Jordan leads a Republican minority into the lame-duck session of the current Congress and then into the 120th Congress in January, facing a Democratic majority expected to investigate the Trump administration.

The result shows which direction the party wants to go: not Scalise's rebuild led by the leadership team that ran the House for the past three years, but Jordan's sharper, more combative opposition.

Frequently asked questions

When is the House Republican leadership vote?

Tuesday, November 10, 2026. House Republicans voted in a closed-door meeting of their conference, by secret ballot. The winner needed a simple majority of the conference.

Who won the race for House minority leader?

Jim Jordan of Ohio, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. He defeated Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the current House majority leader, 106 votes to 73 in a secret ballot on November 10, 2026. Speaker Mike Johnson announced on November 4 that he will not seek the post.

What does the House minority leader do?

The minority leader is the most senior member of the party with fewer seats in the chamber. The leader acts as the party's chief spokesperson, coordinates its legislative strategy, and negotiates with the majority party.

When does the new Congress start?

The 120th Congress convenes on January 3, 2027. Democrats will control the House, and Hakeem Jeffries is expected to become speaker.

Who else was chosen?

Tom Emmer of Minnesota was elected minority whip, beating August Pfluger 103 votes to 76, and Lisa McClain of Michigan won re-election as conference chair. The NRCC chair race pitted Rudy Yakym of Indiana against Brian Jack of Georgia. The Senate held its own leadership elections the same day.