WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans will move Tuesday to select their leader in the minority after a brutal drubbing at the polls, with the two candidates being House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio.
The lawmakers and those set to join the next Congress are gathering in the morning for a vote expected in the afternoon.
Scalise and Jordan have faced off before, both running to serve as House speaker after Kevin McCarthy was ousted from the job a little more than three years ago. Neither was able to rally the support necessary to secure the position, which eventually went to Mike Johnson, who is stepping aside from the leadership in the new Congress.
Now Republicans are headed into the minority, changing the nature of the job. The winner of the leadership race will inherit a historically small House Republican conference that is only beginning to grapple with its loss of power as President Donald Trump serves out his final two years in office. Leading the party back to the House majority in 2028 is sure to be a stiff climb, given the scope of Democratic victories in the midterms.
Scalise, 61, has held key GOP leadership positions going back to 2014, serving as party whip and then as majority leader. In 2017, he was critically wounded when a gunman opened fire at a baseball practice where several Republican lawmakers and staffers were preparing for an annual charity baseball game against Democrats. In 2023, he was stricken with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer that was successfully treated.
“Overcoming adversity is nothing new to me,” Scalise said in his pitch to colleagues.
Jordan, 62, is a co-founder of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus and served as its first chairman. He has been the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee for the last four years.
“Our job cannot be merely to spotlight how radical this new Democratic Party is — offense, not defense, wins elections,” Jordan said, a nod to his pugnacious reputation in committee hearings.
Trump hasn’t publicly weighed in on the race.
Scalise and Jordan are a familiar match-up
Both men have been here before. Scalise edged Jordan in head-to-head voting to become the Republican speaker nominee three years ago, but he ended up withdrawing from the race when he could not secure the near unanimity it required from Republicans to win a majority vote on the House floor.
At the time, some of the more conservative members declined to back Scalise following Trump's endorsement of Jordan. Trump was not president at the time, but his voice still carried the most weight for many.
Jordan then became the nominee, but others within the conference were adamant they would not reward the hardball tactics used to topple McCarthy and then Scalise, so he fell short in multiple rounds of votes. Eventually, Republicans turned to a new face who was not part of their internal skirmish — Johnson.
In a letter to colleagues, Scalise emphasized that he was ready to lead on Day One of the next Congress. He cited his work in helping deliver legislative wins, such as Trump's big tax and spending cut bill.
He also emphasized his fundraising prowess, noting he raised $67.9 million for this year's midterms, with about a third of that going directly to individual House campaigns and the National Republican Congressional Committee. He said his grassroots fundraising operation is the most prolific among House Republicans.
“In competitive districts, every dollar counts and those resources are critical to winning back the majority,” Scalise said.
Jordan warned of the coming Democratic efforts on oversight, with numerous investigations of the Trump administration expected.
“I am battle-tested on the oversight front and I know the Democrats' playbook,” Jordan said.
Republicans are weighing their choice
Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland said he would be supporting Jordan.
“I think you need to change the team and I think you need an excellent communicator, and he fits both those bills,” Harris said.
Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania said he believes Scalise is better suited for the job.
“I like people who do legislation and appropriations. I think that's important," Kelly said. “I know other people have maybe had more time on Fox, but I like guys that work more on facts.”
Rep. Steve Womack of Arkansas called it a “really, really close race.”
“There’s a school of thought a lot of members have that a new broom sweeps clean after going through what we just went through last Tuesday,” Womack said. “There’s also a school of thought of people that believe Mr. Scalise, who has led us back before, can do it again.”
Johnson said he was close to both men and would not try to dictate the outcome.
“I want the body, I want the members to make those decisions themselves,” Johnson said. “I'm not weighing in here on the leadership elections.”
Other positions are also up for grabs
In addition to the race for minority leader, Reps. Tom Emmer of Minnesota and August Pfluger of Texas are vying to serve as Republican whip, the No. 2 position in the leadership hierarchy. Three candidates are seeking to serve as conference chair: Reps. Lisa McClain of Michigan, Erin Houchin of Indiana and Greg Steube of Florida.
The Republicans who will serve in the next Congress will hear from the candidates in the morning, followed in the afternoon by voting through secret ballot.
Democrats will hold their leadership elections next week.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York is expected to become the next House speaker, the first African-American to hold the job, and Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts is expected to become the next majority leader. She would be the first woman to hold that position.
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Associated Press writer Joey Cappelletti contributed to this report.
