Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio will be the next House minority leader after a conference-wide election Tuesday afternoon.
Jordan beat Rep. Steve Scalise, the current House majority leader, 106-73, according to multiple reports.
The two announced their candidacies last week in competing “Dear Colleague” letters after Speaker Mike Johnson decided against running for the position.
Jordan is a co-founder and former chairman of the House Freedom Caucus and the current chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. He touted his experience in his letter to members last week, casting himself as “battle-tested on the oversight front.”
The experience will serve the GOP well in the 120th Congress, when Democrats will hold a commanding majority and are already discussing investigations and impeachments.
House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris congratulated Jordan in a statement: “Congratulations to Jim Jordan, House Freedom Caucus founder and former chairman, on being elected House Republican Leader!” “A fierce fighter, uniter, principled conservative, and relentless advocate for the American people. Jim is exactly the right man for the job to fight back against the radical, crazy agenda of Democrats,” Harris stated.
The Second in Command
The conference also elected Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota as whip, a position he has held since 2023. He beat Republican Study Committee Chairman August Pfluger of Texas, receiving 103 votes to Pfluger’s 76.
“The only goal of the minority is to become the majority. Our Whip Team is proven, and built to achieve that goal. I hope I will earn your trust to serve as Republican Whip in the 120th Congress,” Emmers stated in a letter to fellow GOP members last week.
“Championship teams take the time to debrief after every game. It is time to regroup, recharge, and fully unify. We need fresh ideas and a leadership team committed to rebuilding a culture with a clear game plan to win in 2028,” Pfluger’s letter to members read.
The whip, second in command for the party in the minority, is in charge of mobilizing members to align with party goals for key votes.
Emmer established a successful track record in the 119th Congress, where Republicans consistently held a slim majority, by whipping votes for Johnson and Scalise.
This story is developing and will be updated.