House Republicans choose new leader after midterm defeat

House Republicans will choose between Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan on Tuesday to lead them in the minority after Democrats won back the chamber in last week’s midterm elections. The vote, held behind closed doors by secret ballot, will set the party’s direction as it tries to recover from a sweeping defeat.

Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana has said he will step down from leadership rather than seek the minority leader’s post. NPR reported that Democrats flipped more than 40 Republican-held House seats. NBC News projects they will hold 259 seats in the new Congress.

Scalise, the current majority leader and a fellow Louisiana Republican, has held senior GOP leadership roles for more than a decade. He promised colleagues a “conservative and consensus-driven” approach and said his top goal would be to win back the majority. “We will need to be effective in both the oversight and legislative fights ahead,” he wrote, while laying out “a clear and optimistic vision for America.”

Jordan of Ohio, who chairs the Judiciary Committee and helped found the House Freedom Caucus, is urging a more aggressive approach as Democrats prepare investigations of President Donald Trump and his administration. “Offense, not defense, wins elections,” he wrote to colleagues. “I am battle-tested on the oversight front and I know the Democrats’ playbook.”

Both men are Trump allies. Both sought the speakership in 2023 after Kevin McCarthy was ousted; Republicans ultimately chose Johnson. Trump has not entered the current race, NPR reported. Candidates are scheduled to make their pitches to House Republicans beginning at 9 a.m. Eastern, with a vote expected in the afternoon. The winner needs a majority of the conference.

Other House leadership jobs are contested. Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota faces August Pfluger of Texas for the No. 2 minority post. Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain of Michigan faces challenges from Erin Houchin of Indiana and Greg Steube of Florida, who criticized the current leadership team for choosing “accommodation over conviction.”

Senate Republicans also plan a private leadership vote Tuesday. Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota is seeking to become minority leader without an announced opponent, but some senators want more time before voting. Sen. David McCormick of Pennsylvania called the election the party’s worst result in decades and said Republicans must discuss what went wrong. “We need leadership in place fast, but Tuesday is too soon,” he said. NBC News reported that five other senators, led by Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, requested a fuller discussion of the candidates’ plans before the vote.

Democrats have their own leadership decisions ahead. Hakeem Jeffries of New York is the favorite to become House speaker, while fellow New Yorker Chuck Schumer is favored to become Senate majority leader. Neither has an announced challenger, though NBC News reported that Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland is considering a run against Schumer. Some House progressives have not committed to Jeffries. He said he was confident of securing the 218 votes needed to become speaker on Jan. 3.

House Democrats will choose their leaders next week; Senate Democrats plan to vote in early December.