The battle for the future of the House GOP is officially on. One day after Democrats captured control of the House, Speaker Mike Johnson told his staff on Wednesday morning that he will not seek to stay on as the top Republican leader in the new Congress. When AFP asked whether the reports were correct, his spokesman answered in a one-word email: “Accurate.”
That decision opened the door to a showdown between two of the most recognizable names in the Republican conference: House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio. Both men sent letters to their colleagues on Wednesday making their case, according to CBS News and The Hill.
Jordan: “I know the Democrats’ playbook”
Jordan, one of President Trump’s most loyal allies on Capitol Hill, pitched himself as the fighter Republicans need in the minority. “For too long, we have operated without a clear plan to survive the hour or the day in front of us,” he wrote, according to The Hill. “That will not cut it against an emboldened and energetic Democrat majority.”
He called himself “battle-tested on the oversight front” and added, “I know the Democrats’ playbook.” As Judiciary chairman, Jordan has used his gavel to investigate the president’s political opponents, and this year he referred former special counsel Jack Smith to the Justice Department for criminal prosecution. He is term-limited as Judiciary chairman.
Scalise: “Win back the majority”
Scalise, the No. 2 House Republican and a close Johnson ally, made the majority his rallying cry. “My number one goal as Republican Leader will be to win back the majority and I expect you to hold me accountable to that mission,” he wrote in a five-page letter, according to CBS News. Scalise became a national figure after surviving an assassination attempt at the 2017 congressional baseball practice shooting.
Trump: “We’ll stay out of it”
President Trump told reporters on Wednesday afternoon that he will not pick a side. “We’ll stay out of it,” he said, according to the Washington Examiner. “The speaker was fantastic. The people under him were fantastic. All good people.” Trump also denied that he asked Johnson to step aside. Johnson told his staff he had spoken with the president before announcing his decision, according to Politico.
A rematch from 2023
This is not the first time Jordan and Scalise have gone head to head. After Kevin McCarthy was ousted in October 2023, Scalise won the party’s internal nomination for speaker but withdrew when he could not lock down enough votes, and Jordan then fell short too. That standoff is what led Republicans to Johnson as a compromise pick.
What happens next
House Republicans are scheduled to hold their leadership elections on Tuesday, Nov. 10. Johnson, who won reelection to his Shreveport-area seat on Tuesday night, is expected to remain in the House as a rank-and-file member, though it is unclear whether he will serve his full term.
The winner will lead a smaller Republican conference into two years of facing a Democratic House majority, with Democrats gaining at least 28 seats, according to Reuters. Who do you want leading the fight: Jordan or Scalise?