106 Men in a Room Pick Who 'Fights for Families'

Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio beat Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, 106-73, on Tuesday in a secret-ballot election to lead House Republicans into the minority. The people who will serve in the next Congress cast the ballots. Nobody else got a vote, and the ballots were secret.

Jordan, 62, chairs the House Judiciary Committee and co-founded the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus, serving as its first chairman. CBS News called him a hard-line conservative and close ally of President Trump. The AP said his candidacy appealed to those seeking new leadership after last week's "election debacle" and to those who like his "hard-hitting political style." The party he'll now lead lost more than 40 House seats.

Who Has the Power

The vote followed last week's midterm losses, and the conference that emerged from them is, in the AP's words, historically small. President Donald Trump, who serves out his final two years in office, said he was staying out of the race. Jordan's own pitch was blunt about what the minority job means: "Our job cannot be merely to spotlight how radical this new Democratic Party is — offense, not defense, wins elections. I am battle-tested on the oversight front and I know the Democrats' playbook."

Scalise, 61, answered with biography and cash. He has held key GOP leadership positions since 2014, serving as whip and then majority leader per the AP. In 2017 he was critically wounded when a gunman opened fire at a baseball practice for an annual charity game against Democrats. That was nine years ago. In 2023 he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer, and he was later in remission. His candidacy letter read: "This is no doubt a challenging time for our conference, but overcoming adversity is nothing new to me." He also stressed that he raised $67.9 million for this year's midterms, about a third going directly to individual House campaigns and the National Republican Congressional Committee.

That figure matters. The pitch for the job included a fundraising number, and the winner will inherit the machinery that turns donor money into leadership posts.

What They're Calling 'Freedom'

In brief remarks after the vote, Jordan said: "Over the next two years, House Republicans will fight for American families. When Democrats offer more government, we'll offer more freedom. And we will bring that fight in committee, on the floor and on the stump every single day." His candidacy letter admitted that "for too long, we have operated without a clear plan to survive the hour or the day in front of us."

This is the same two-man contest as three years ago. Jordan and Scalise both ran for speaker after Kevin McCarthy was ousted, a little more than three years ago per the source. Neither could rally the needed support. The job went to Mike Johnson, then a little-known conservative with no leadership experience, whom the conference voted unanimously to make speaker. Johnson is stepping aside from leadership in the new Congress and has been noncommittal about his long-term future in Congress.

The Reform Trap

The rest of the leadership slate, per CBS: Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota as minority whip, Rep. Lisa McClain of Michigan as conference chair, and Rep. Brian Jack of Georgia to chair the National Republican Congressional Committee. Jack replaces Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina, who lost his reelection race.

Democrats hold their leadership elections next week. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York is expected to become speaker, the first African-American to hold the job, and Rep. Katherine Clark of Massachusetts is expected to become majority leader, the first woman in that position. Jordan has already warned of coming Democratic oversight efforts, with numerous investigations of the Trump administration expected.

So the cycle turns. One party loses, the other gains, and both reshuffle their leaders behind closed doors. The new minority leader promises to "fight for American families" while the families have no say in who sits at the table. The next target on the calendar is the 2028 House majority, which the AP says will be a stiff climb for Jordan's party. Whoever wins, the apparatus stays standing.