Updated Nov. 10, 2026, about 2:30 p.m. ET with the House result.
Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio was elected House Republican leader on Tuesday, beating Majority Leader Steve Scalise 106-73 in a secret ballot, according to Politico, CNN and Punchbowl News. He will be minority leader when Democrats take control in January. Senate Republicans had not yet settled whether to re-elect John Thune.
Why it matters
Whoever wins sets the GOP’s posture toward a Democratic Congress that is preparing investigations of the Trump administration — and toward the voters the party just lost.
The House: Jordan wins
- Jordan 106, Scalise 73, per Politico, CNN and Punchbowl News citing sources; about 82 votes were needed. Politico calls it Jordan’s third attempt to lead Republicans on Capitol Hill.
- Speaker Mike Johnson stepped aside. Scalise pitched continuity and unity against the incoming “socialists”; Jordan said he is “battle-tested on the oversight front,” per NBC News, and argued that “offense, not defense, wins elections,” per NPR.
- Jordan will not be speaker: the full House elects the speaker on Jan. 3, 2027, and Democrats will hold the majority; Hakeem Jeffries is the favorite.
- Down-ballot races (Tom Emmer vs. August Pfluger for whip; Lisa McClain, Erin Houchin and Greg Steube for conference chair) were still underway at the time of this update.
The Senate: a revolt without a rival
- John Thune is unopposed, but a group led by Sen. Ron Johnson wants to delay the vote. “That kind of defeat demands change,” Johnson told CBS — while conceding there is no clear alternative.
- After a roughly two-hour morning meeting that Sen. Rand Paul called “mostly dissent,” senators reconvened in the afternoon. As of about 2:30 p.m. ET, no delay and no vote on Thune had been reported by reliable outlets.
- Sen. Josh Hawley called the results the worst losses “since Watergate.”
Between the lines
- The 2028 hopefuls are already assigning blame, CNBC reports: Vance says “the reason we lost is the war”; Rubio defends it; DeSantis says Republicans “were fighting yesterday’s battle”; Cruz cites tariffs and the war.
- The CNBC Voter Poll complicates everyone’s story: 34% called the war crucial, 49% the cost of living and 55% government corruption.
- Retiring Rep. Don Bacon: “Tariffs cost us the election more than anything else.”
What’s next
Senate Republicans may still vote Tuesday or postpone. House Democrats choose leaders next week; Senate Democrats in early December. The speaker vote is Jan. 3, 2027.
Our view
House Republicans chose defense: a leader built for fighting investigations and cable-news battles. That fits two years of a Democratic Congress, but it doesn’t by itself answer voters worried about prices. The 106-73 margin is also a refusal to promote the No. 2 of the team that just lost. In the Senate, a revolt against a leader with no challenger still looks less like a power struggle than a party that hasn’t decided what it stands for. That is our opinion, not fact.
Sources
- Politico on X (Nov. 10, 2026, ~2:23 p.m. ET)
- Jake Sherman, Punchbowl News, on X: Jordan 106, Scalise 73
- Manu Raju, CNN, on X: 106-73, per sources
- Axios on X: Jim Jordan elected House GOP leader
- Punchbowl News: ~82 votes needed
- ABC News: speaker vote Jan. 3, 2027
- NPR (Nov. 10, 2026)
- NBC News (Nov. 10, 2026)
- CBS News live updates (updated 11:50 a.m. ET)
- Politico Inside Congress
- AP via PBS (Nov. 10, 2026)
- AP: Thune meeting ends without decision
- CNBC (Nov. 10, 2026)
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