Jim Jordan Named House Minority Leader After Midterm Losses

House Republicans selected Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan as their minority leader on Tuesday. The decision came one week after midterm elections that reduced the party's numbers and transferred control of both the House and Senate to the Democratic Party.

Jordan, who currently chairs the Judiciary Committee, defeated current Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana for the position. Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana chose not to run for the leadership role. Johnson described Jordan and Scalise as brothers and noted that the group held good feelings about the outcome.

In the Senate, Republicans retained South Dakota Sen. John Thune. His title will change from majority leader to minority leader when the new Congress convenes. Arizona Republican Rep. Abe Hamadeh supported the choice, stating the caucus needs a unifier to regain the majority. Hamadeh won his seat in Scottsdale by a 51 percent to 49 percent margin last week.

The shift in power is immediate for Arizona House members. Republicans currently hold six of the state's nine congressional seats. Democrats flipped two of those seats and will hold a 5-4 advantage starting in January. Bullhead City Rep. Paul Gosar praised Jordan for being well researched and a fighter.

Johnson told his colleagues that leading a minority party is often easier than holding a slim majority. Under his leadership, Republicans controlled the House by a small margin, meaning a few defectors could block legislation at any time. Jordan said his task will be to keep the group together while blocking Democratic radicals.

Jordan, an outspoken ally of President Trump, pledged to regain public trust by 2028. He vowed to hold every Democrat accountable for their votes, meetings, and statements. The new leadership team will begin serving when the 120th Congress convenes on January 3, 2026.