House Republicans are set to pick a new leader on Tuesday. They must choose between Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan. This race comes after Speaker Mike Johnson stepped down following last week’s election results. The group lost many seats in the House, leaving them with a smaller majority.
Steve Scalise has held a top leadership role since 2014. He is a survivor of a gunshot attack and has beaten cancer. He argues that his experience makes him the right choice. Scalise says he has a “proven track record” for reaching out to members. According to a source familiar with his bid, the Washington Examiner was told that he has support from “all across different factions of the conference and throughout all the regions of the country.”
Jim Jordan presents a different case. He was the outgoing House Judiciary Committee Chairman. He lost a bid for speaker to Scalise in 2023. His supporters say the party needs a change after the recent losses. Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-IN) told the Washington Examiner he plans to support Jordan. Stutzman stated that the conference requires “new faces” and added, “I think, you know, we had 50 colleagues get fired last Tuesday.”
Scalise’s allies argue he is battle-tested and a strong fundraiser. They believe this money is vital for the future. Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) told the Washington Examiner that the majority leader has a “better network.” Gimenez stated that the party will need all the resources they can get to either dig in or regain the majority in 2028. He also said that, in his view, Scalise possesses a superior capacity to unify the conference, so the contest ought to be spirited.
Both men know they will face tough investigations from Democrats. The Washington Examiner reported that Speaker Mike Johnson has not picked a side. He told reporters he committed to not “tipping the scales” in the internal leadership elections. A source told the Post that Scalise’s efforts to court new lawmakers are going well.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune is also looking at the election results. He told reporters Monday that the party needs to learn from the vote. Thune said, “It was a tough election for us. And I think we need to internalize the message that the voters are sending and rebuild and get ready to get out there and do things better.” He added, “We lost a lot of good Republicans,” and noted, “It’ll take a while to build that back.”
Somewhere in the mix is Senator Ron Johnson. He told Scripps News, “I’m not going to participate in an election that’s held that early.” He urged his colleagues to delay the leadership vote. The group is meeting Tuesday morning before the final vote. The decision will determine who leads the shrunken GOP conference. The party must decide between experience and a call for new leadership.
