Vance, Hegseth, impeachment, Iran: House vote pits Scalise against Jordan for leadership
Republicans Choose Their Leader
House Republicans are expected to vote Tuesday on who will lead them in the minority. Steve Scalise, the House majority leader from Louisiana, and Jim Jordan, the Ohio lawmaker who chairs the Judiciary Committee, are the candidates.
Members and incoming lawmakers are gathering in the morning, with the vote expected later in the day. Mike Johnson, who became speaker after the earlier leadership fight, is stepping aside from leadership in the new Congress.
A Difficult Path Ahead
The incoming leader will inherit a historically small House Republican conference still coming to terms with losing power. President Donald Trump has two years left in office, and returning the party to a House majority in 2028 is expected to be difficult after Democratic gains in the midterms.
The leadership role will change with Republicans in the minority. The contest comes after what the article describes as a brutal election defeat.
Their Earlier Leadership Fight
Scalise, 61, has held senior Republican leadership roles since 2014, including party whip and majority leader. He was critically injured in a 2017 shooting at a baseball practice and later received successful treatment for multiple myeloma, a blood cancer.
Jordan, 62, helped found the House Freedom Caucus and was its first chairman. He has led the Judiciary Committee for four years. In his pitch, he argued Republicans must do more than criticize Democrats, saying, “offense, not defense, wins elections.”
Lessons From The 2023 Contest
Scalise defeated Jordan in head-to-head voting to become the Republican speaker nominee in 2023, but withdrew when he could not win the broad support needed. Some conservatives had declined to back him after Trump endorsed Jordan.
Jordan then won the nomination but fell short in several rounds of voting. Some Republicans opposed the tactics used to oust Kevin McCarthy and challenge Scalise, and the conference ultimately chose Johnson, who had not been part of the dispute.
Scalise Makes His Case
In a letter to colleagues, Scalise said he was prepared to lead from the first day of the next Congress. He pointed to legislative achievements, including Trump’s tax and spending cut bill.
Scalise also highlighted his fundraising, saying he raised $67.9 million for the midterms. About one-third went directly to House campaigns and the National Republican Congressional Committee, and he described his grassroots operation as the most prolific among House Republicans.
Key points
- House Republicans are expected to choose between Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan on Tuesday.
- The winner will lead a historically small Republican conference in the minority.
- Scalise and Jordan both failed to secure the speakership during the 2023 leadership fight.
- Scalise said he raised $67.9 million for the midterms.