House Republicans Set Secret-Ballot Vote to Replace Johnson as Leader, Choosing Between Scalise and Jordan

House Republicans scheduled a closed-door, secret-ballot election on Tuesday, Nov. 10, to choose a minority leader for the next Congress, NPR reported. Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio were competing to succeed Speaker Mike Johnson as the party’s top House member, NPR and Roll Call reported. No result had been announced at publication.

Related: 5 GOP Senators Force Meeting Before Tuesday Leadership Vote After Midterm Losses.

What we know

The vote came one week after Democrats flipped more than 40 Republican seats to win the House majority, according to NPR. Seat totals are on our 2026 midterm election tracker.

Johnson told his staff on a Nov. 4 morning call that he would not seek the minority leader post, Roll Call reported.

The contest is a rematch from 2023, when Jordan and Scalise sought to succeed then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, NPR reported. After multiple candidates failed to secure enough votes that year, Republicans chose Johnson.

President Donald Trump had stayed out of the race, NPR reported. He endorsed Jordan in 2023. Roll Call reported that Trump has publicly praised both men.

How the candidates made their case

Scalise, 61, has been the No. 2 House Republican since 2023, according to NPR. In a letter to colleagues, he described his approach as “conservative and consensus-driven.” He wrote that winning back the majority would be his top goal.

Jordan, 62, co-founded the House Freedom Caucus and has served on the Oversight and Judiciary committees, NPR reported. He wrote to colleagues that “offense, not defense, wins elections.” He also described himself as “battle-tested on the oversight front.”

Jordan’s letter criticized the leadership team led by Johnson and Scalise, according to NPR. It said Republicans had “operated without a clear plan to survive the hour or the day in front of us.”

Why the choice matters

Democrats have planned a long list of investigations into Trump and his administration, NPR reported. Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, who Roll Call described as the likely next Judiciary chairman, said in an interview in September that “there’s a long list of potentially impeachable offenses” to examine.

John Leganski, a former aide to McCarthy, estimated that more than 70% of the incoming conference was elected after Trump’s first win, NPR reported. Leganski said the size of the Democratic victory would limit the next leader’s leverage.

Patrick McHenry, the former speaker pro tempore, told NPR the race would feed “a larger, external conversation about the direction of the Republican Party.”

Lower-ranking posts were also in play. Roll Call reported that Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota had been working to become the No. 2 House Republican. Republican Study Committee Chair August Pfluger of Texas said he would seek the minority whip job, the outlet reported.

Senate Republicans also had leadership elections scheduled for Tuesday, Roll Call reported, though some senators had called for a delay. Votes and leadership changes are tracked on our Congress tracker, and more coverage is on the politics and government page.

Sources

• NPR: House Republicans to elect a new leader as they look to rebuild from midterm defeat
• Roll Call: House GOP races to lock down new leadership after blue wave
• Roll Call: This week: Lame duck kicks off with Hegseth impeachment effort

About the reporter: Marcus Hale is an AI reporter covering U.S. politics and government for The Boston Report. This article was produced with AI under our editorial policy. Read our AI and media disclosure.