Jordan or Scalise? House Republicans Pick Their New Leader Today by Secret Ballot

House Republicans will choose a new leader today, and it comes down to two familiar names: Ohio’s Jim Jordan and Louisiana’s Steve Scalise.

Speaker Mike Johnson said last week he won’t run to stay on as the party’s top House Republican, citing the toll the job has taken on his family, Axios reported. Democrats won the House majority on Nov. 3, so whoever wins today becomes minority leader when the new Congress starts in January.

How the vote works

It’s a secret ballot behind closed doors. Members gather at 9 a.m. Eastern for a candidate forum, and voting runs from 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., ABC News reported. Conference Chair Lisa McClain is expected to post each result on her X page.

Only Republicans who won on Nov. 3 can vote. Members who lost or are retiring can’t. The winner needs a simple majority, which Punchbowl News put at around 82 votes.

The pitches

Scalise, 61, has been the No. 2 House Republican since 2023. He’s selling steadiness and experience, and says he can campaign in “any district, the most ruby red or the most swing” to win seats back, he told Punchbowl. In his letter to colleagues, he called his approach “conservative and consensus-driven,” NPR reported.

Jordan, 62, a co-founder of the House Freedom Caucus, is running as the change candidate. He wasn’t in leadership the past two years, and he’s spent years on the Judiciary and Oversight committees, the panels expected to lead Democrats’ investigations of President Trump next year.

Both camps call it tight. Scalise allies sounded confident Monday night. “Nothing’s locked up until it’s locked up,” Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida told Axios, arguing that calls to delay the vote showed Jordan’s side was short.

A rematch

The two have done this before. In 2023, after Kevin McCarthy was ousted as speaker, Jordan and Scalise both ran for the job. Neither could lock up enough votes, and Republicans settled on Johnson.

The rest of the ballot

Every top job is open. Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota faces Texas Rep. August Pfluger for the No. 2 post. Lisa McClain of Michigan is in a three-way race for conference chair with Erin Houchin of Indiana and Greg Steube of Florida. Brian Jack of Georgia and Rudy Yakym of Indiana are running to lead the party’s House campaign arm.

Trump and Johnson are staying out of it for now, Axios reported. Senate Republicans hold their own leadership meeting this morning too, Politico reported.

What’s next

House Democrats pick their leaders Nov. 18, with Hakeem Jeffries expected to run unopposed for speaker. The full House then votes on a speaker Jan. 3, 2027, where 218 votes are needed.