Steve Scalise

FILE—Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, left, and Rep. Steve Scalise, R-Jefferson, confer during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, June 8, 2022. The two GOP leaders have emerged as contenders to replace former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy who was voted out of the job by a contingent of hard-right conservatives. Jordan is now chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump. House Majority Leader Scalise has long sought the top post.

WASHINGTON -- House Majority Leader Steve Scalise lost his bid to lead Republicans when they assume the minority next year, ending an historic three-year period when the two top leaders in the lower chamber were both from Louisiana.

House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, will become House Minority Leader after winning a secret 106-73 vote. He will be the highest-ranking Republican official come Jan. 3, when the 120th Congress takes office.

Scalise’s fellow LSU alum, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, bowed out of leadership for the next Congress after voters repudiated President Donald Trump and Republican governing priorities in the elections last week. Johnson has led the House since Oct. 2023, with Scalise as his top lieutenant — it is the first time in history the institution’s two top leaders are from the same state.

Scalise faced Republican members wanting a clean sweep after such a staggering loss for the GOP on Tuesday.

Scalise’s pitch Tuesday morning leaned into his mastery of Congress’s sometimes bewildering rules, coupled with his deep knowledge of the wants and needs of the often-fractured House Republican Conference. He also reminded colleagues of tens of millions of dollars he has raised and distributed to his colleagues, along with tireless campaigning in their districts.

Jordan, 62, said he was “battle tested.” He argued that he would “spotlight how radical” the Democrats are while presenting alternatives and connecting directly with voters. He was first elected in 2007 and was a co-founder of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus.

House Republican members then reelected Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minnesota, as the House Minority Whip, which is second-in-command for the party out of power, for the next two years.

After serving in the Louisiana Legislature for a dozen years, Scalise came to the House in May 2008 to replace Bobby Jindal, who had been elected governor. He has won his district, which includes a handful of precincts in uptown New Orleans but mostly in the heavily GOP suburbs of Jefferson and southeast parishes, along with the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain.

He rose from chair of the Republican Study Committee to become the GOP whip in both the majority and minority from 2014 to 2023, when his bid to replace Kevin McCarthy, R-California, as House speaker came up short, as did Jordan’s effort for the post. After three weeks of disarray, Scalise endorsed elevating Johnson from the back bench to speaker.

Unlike recent Republican speakers who quit the House entirely after losing the party’s majority and thus control of the legislative agenda, Johnson told reporters that he plans to remain in office throughout the rest of the year.

But he did not commit to returning to Congress next year to continue representing people who live along the state’s western border from the Arkansas line to Cameron Parish.

“I’m still in charge here until early January,” Johnson told reporters Monday, according to a MSNOW video of the press conference. “We’re going to do our duty. And after that, my commitment and my objective is to help my team ensure that the Republican Party has a very successful 120th Congress. We’ll see how that develops.”

Johnson will keep his security detail for two more years. Whether he receives other perks, like a hideaway office in the Capitol itself and more staff, will depend on the role he chooses in January.

Johnson added that he is close to both Scalise and Jordan. President Donald Trump praised both candidates.

This is a developing story. Please check back for further details.

Email Mark Ballard at [email protected].