House Republicans are preparing to choose a new leader after losing control of the chamber, with Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan seeking the post before the party’s Nov. 10 vote.
Democrats won control of the House in the Nov. 3 midterm elections, leaving Republicans to organize from the minority in the next Congress. The Associated Press and Axios reported that Scalise, now the House majority leader, is seeking the Republican leadership position, while Jordan, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, is also pursuing it. The contest will decide who leads House Republicans as they prepare for a change in chamber control.
Speaker Mike Johnson said he will not seek a House Republican leadership post in the 120th Congress. He announced the decision in a Nov. 4 letter to colleagues. Axios reported that his letter cited the job’s toll on his family. EconoTimes previously covered Johnson’s decision not to seek a leadership post in the 120th Congress.
The contest has a recent precedent: Scalise and Jordan both sought the speakership after Kevin McCarthy was removed in 2023. In October that year, Scalise finished ahead of Jordan in the Republican Conference’s confidential vote to choose its nominee. He later quit the effort after failing to gather enough support for a vote before the full House, Axios reported. Johnson eventually won the speakership after Republicans rallied around him.
Republicans are scheduled to choose their leadership team Tuesday, Nov. 10, with candidates required to declare by Friday, Axios reported. The successful candidate must receive a majority in the conference’s secret-ballot election. House Clerk guidance distinguishes that internal process from the choice of speaker: members of each party select their own leaders, while the full House elects the speaker. The next step is the Friday declaration deadline, followed by the leadership vote on Nov. 10.
