House Republicans Choose Between Scalise and Jordan for Leader Today

House Republicans are set to choose their next leader Tuesday, with Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana facing Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio as the party prepares to move into the minority in the next Congress.

Speaker Mike Johnson is not seeking to remain the top House Republican after the party lost its majority in last week's midterm elections. The contest will decide who leads the Republican conference as it heads into two years of Democratic control of the chamber.

The conference is scheduled to hold a candidate forum at 9 a.m. Eastern, followed by closed-door leadership elections beginning at 1:30 p.m. The winner needs a simple majority of the Republicans voting in the conference, rather than a vote of the full House.

Scalise, the current No. 2 House Republican, has spent more than a decade in party leadership. Jordan, a co-founder of the House Freedom Caucus, has led Republicans on the Oversight and Judiciary committees and is a prominent defender of President Donald Trump.

The matchup recalls the party's 2023 leadership struggle, when both men sought to succeed Kevin McCarthy before Johnson ultimately became speaker. This time, the position at stake is minority leader, not the speaker's gavel.

Other leadership posts are also on Tuesday's ballot. Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota faces Rep. August Pfluger of Texas for minority whip, while Republicans will also choose their conference chair and campaign committee leader.

The leadership votes come as Republicans assess their midterm losses and prepare to rebuild for the next election. No winner in the Scalise-Jordan contest had been announced as of Tuesday morning.