# House and Senate Republican leadership contests > Developing situation record from CLSTR: https://clstr.news/situations/senate-republican-leadership-contest > Updated: 2026-11-10T15:43:42.000Z. Sources: 104. Developments: 4. Following significant midterm election losses that resulted in Democrats gaining control of both the House and Senate, Republican lawmakers have finalized new party leadership. In the House, Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio has been elected as the new minority leader, succeeding Mike Johnson. In a secret ballot election, Jordan defeated Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana with a vote of 106 to 73. As a co-founder of the House Freedom Caucus and former Judiciary Committee Chairman, Jordan is expected to serve as a key defender of the Trump administration during the upcoming 120th Congress. His victory is viewed as a shift toward a more combative leadership style. Jordan stated that the party must focus on offense rather than defense to win future elections. Additionally, Tom Emmer of Minnesota was elected minority whip, defeating August Pfluger of Texas with a 103 to 76 vote. In the Senate, John Thune has been reelected as the leader of the GOP conference. The decision follows a period of internal tension and tense meetings after the party lost at least seven seats during the midterm elections. While Thune ran unopposed, the process faced scrutiny from senators such as Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Josh Hawley of Missouri, who had previously called for a delay to allow for a reassessment of party strategy. Additionally, Senator Jim Justice of West Virginia noted that while current leadership was not responsible for the election losses, there were arguments for considering new leadership following such a significant defeat. In recent developments, Senator Bernie Moreno of Ohio was elected as the new chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, succeeding Senator Tim Scott. Other members of the Republican leadership slate, including Senators Ted Cruz, John Barrasso, Steve Daines, Joni Ernst, and John Cornyn, were also reelected to their respective positions. ## Claims - The vote tally for the leadership election was 106 to 73. (reported by 21 sources) - Tom Emmer was elected minority whip with 103 votes. (reported by 4 sources) - Jim Jordan was elected as the House Republican minority leader. (reported by 32 sources) - Jim Jordan is the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. (reported by 14 sources) - Mike Johnson is stepping down from his leadership position in the new Congress. (reported by 14 sources) - Jim Jordan is a co-founder and former chairman of the House Freedom Caucus. (reported by 13 sources) - Democrats won large majorities in both the House and Senate in the midterm elections. (reported by 11 sources) - The election was conducted via secret ballot. (reported by 10 sources) - Donald Trump stated he was staying out of the race. (reported by 7 sources) - Senator Ron Johnson led an effort to delay the Senate Republican leadership election. (reported by 5 sources) - House Republicans are choosing between Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan for minority leader. (reported by 5 sources) ## Timeline ### 2026-11-10: John Thune reelected as Senate Republican leader Senate Republicans reelected John Thune as leader despite losing their majority in recent midterm elections and facing internal calls for leadership changes. 14 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/senate-republicans-reelect-john-thune-as-leader ### 2026-11-10: Jim Jordan elected House Republican minority leader Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan has been elected House Republican minority leader, defeating Steve Scalise in a 106-73 vote following midterm losses. 59 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/jim-jordan-elected-house-republican-minority-leader ### 2026-11-06: Jim Jordan elected House Republican minority leader Jim Jordan has been elected House Republican minority leader, defeating Steve Scalise. Meanwhile, Senate Republicans debate whether to delay electing John Thune following major midterm losses. 37 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/republican-senators-challenge-john-thune-leadership-bid ### 2026-11-04: John Thune to run for Senate Republican minority leader Senator John Thune will run for Senate Republican minority leader following the party's midterm losses in both chambers. 9 sources. https://clstr.news/cluster/john-thune-intends-to-run-for-senate-republican-minority-leader --- Cite as: House and Senate Republican leadership contests. CLSTR, https://clstr.news/situations/senate-republican-leadership-contest