Jim Jordan elected leader of House Republicans
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Punch
Jim Jordan, an ally of Donald Trump and chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, beat Steve Scalise by 106 votes to 73 in a secret ballot. He succeeds Mike Johnson, who is stepping down from the leadership after Republicans lost both chambers of Congress, and will lead the opposition to the Democratic majority, according to US media cited by Punch.
Jim Jordan, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and an ally of Donald Trump, was elected on Tuesday leader of the Republicans in the House of Representatives, by 106 votes to 73 for Steve Scalise, the current majority leader, in a secret ballot, Punch reports, citing US media. He takes over as head of the opposition to the incoming Democratic majority.
The Ohio representative replaces House Speaker Mike Johnson, who announced he was leaving the leadership after Republicans lost both chambers of Congress in last week’s elections. Donald Trump did not back either candidate.
The vote replays the 2023 contest for House Speaker, after the ousting of Kevin McCarthy: Scalise had then won the nomination before withdrawing, and Jordan had lost three floor votes before Johnson emerged as a compromise candidate. Jordan, a former wrestler, has sat in Congress since 2007 and is a founding member of the House Freedom Caucus, a hard-right group. Former House Speaker John Boehner once called him a "legislative terrorist".
In the Senate, Republicans suspended their own internal election on Tuesday, amid calls for a review of the defeats. That election follows the announcement the same day of Thune’s bid to lead the Senate minority.
