Republicans set to choose new House and Senate leaders after midterm losses

Washington — After a decisive Democratic victory in the midterm elections, Republican members of the House and Senate will meet on Tuesday to select their leadership teams for the upcoming Congress.

In the House, Speaker Mike Johnson has announced he will not seek the minority leader post, opening a contest between Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio. Both lawmakers are allies of President Donald Trump and previously ran for speaker in 2023. Scalise told colleagues he can unite Republican factions against "socialists" in Washington, while Jordan said he is "battle-tested on the oversight front and I know the Democrats’ playbook." The vote will be conducted behind closed doors by secret ballot.

Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota is also running for the whip position, facing a challenge from Texas Republican August Pfluger, chairman of the Republican Study Committee. House Conference Chair Lisa McClain of Michigan must defend her role against Erin Houchin of Indiana and Greg Steube of Florida.

A Republican lawmaker who backs Jordan said, ">We’re ready to move on. We need a pivot. Everything is on the table after the Democratic landslide."

In the Senate, Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota is expected to retain the minority leader role, with no announced challenger. A small group of senators, including Budget Committee Chairman Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, has asked Senate Republican Conference Chairman Tom Cotton to postpone the vote to allow a broader discussion of the midterm results. Senator David McCormick of Pennsylvania said, ">A week ago, we had the worst election result in decades. We need a discussion about what went wrong, how we fix it, and what our agenda must be."

Senate Whip John Barrasso of Wyoming and Cotton are projected to keep their second- and third-ranked positions. The Senate will also hold a secret-ballot vote, requiring a simple majority to win.

Democrats are expected to maintain their leadership, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer poised to continue in their roles. Jeffries, who projects a 259-seat Democratic House, said, ">We’re going to work as hard as we can to get to the 218 number, and we’re confident that we will get to that number and beyond."

Other Democratic leaders, including Katherine Clark, Pete Aguilar and Ted Lieu, face no opposition for the top four leadership posts. New-member Senate Democrats noted they are focused on settling in rather than leadership discussions.