There will be leadership changes for Republicans in the House of Representatives after the party took a shellacking from Democrats during Tuesday’s midterm elections.
House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan is making a bid to become the top House Republican after Democrats swept the GOP out of the majority.
Jordan, R-Ohio, is running for House minority leader in the next Congress, two sources familiar with his plans told Fox News Digital Wednesday.
The move immediately thrusts one of President Donald Trump’s closest congressional allies into the center of the Republican Party’s post-election leadership fight.
The development came as House Republicans absorbed substantial losses Tuesday, surrendering their razor-thin majority after Democrats flipped dozens of competitive seats nationwide.
Jordan’s path became clearer Wednesday after Speaker Mike Johnson informed staff that he would not seek the minority leader position.
Johnson’s decision removes a major potential obstacle for Jordan while opening the door to a broader reshuffling of the House Republican leadership team.
Jordan is expected to face competition for the position, with House Majority Leader Steve Scalise previously viewed as another possible contender.
Scalise has served in House Republican leadership since 2014 and has built substantial relationships across the conference while becoming one of its strongest fundraisers.
Jordan brings a different profile as a combative committee chairman with close ties to Trump and considerable support among conservative grassroots voters.
BREAKING: Speaker Mike Johnson tells staff he is NOT running for House minority leader, Fox News Digital has learned.
The decision comes as Rep. Jim Jordan is running for the position, setting up a leadership shakeup for House Republicans as they prepare for their next chapter in the minority.
— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 4, 2026
Republican lawmakers had been privately discussing Jordan as a possible minority leader for weeks as polling suggested Democrats could capture the House.
One Republican lawmaker previously described Jordan as the “number one name” for the position if Republicans lost their majority, as polling suggested Democrats could capture the House.
Jordan spent significant portions of August and October traveling nationally to campaign for Republican House candidates across different ideological factions.
That effort helped Jordan broaden relationships beyond the conservative House Freedom Caucus wing with which he has long been associated.
His supporters believe that expanded network could prove crucial because minority leader is elected internally by members of the Republican conference.
That differs significantly from electing a House speaker, who must secure support from a majority of the full chamber.
Jordan learned the difficulty of that process during the chaotic Republican leadership fight following former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s removal in 2023.
Jordan initially enjoyed substantial conservative support but ultimately abandoned his speaker bid after repeatedly failing to secure enough votes on the House floor.
Johnson eventually emerged from that weeks-long struggle as the consensus Republican candidate and became speaker.
The political environment inside the GOP conference has changed considerably since then.
Several Republicans who opposed Jordan during the 2023 speaker contest either left Congress or faced difficult elections during Tuesday’s Democratic wave.
One Republican lawmaker told Fox News before the election that Jordan’s chances would improve significantly if the surviving GOP conference became more conservative.
Republicans are now confronting exactly the scenario many members privately feared before Election Day.
Democrats captured the House after entering the election needing only a small number of additional seats to erase the Republican majority.
The defeat means Republicans will lose committee chairmanships and control over subpoenas, investigations and the House legislative calendar when the new Congress convenes.
Jordan’s Judiciary Committee chairmanship will also end, although he could become the panel’s ranking Republican if he does not secure a leadership position.
The minority leader will assume an especially visible role because Democrats have already promised aggressive investigations of the Trump administration.
The position would make the House Republican leader one of Trump’s most important congressional defenders against Democratic investigations, subpoenas and potential impeachment efforts.
Jordan’s background could make him particularly prominent in those battles after years spent leading Republican investigations and confronting Democratic officials during congressional hearings.
House Republicans must also determine how the rest of their leadership structure will change following the election.
Majority Whip Tom Emmer (Minn.) has previously signaled interest in remaining in the corresponding whip position regardless of whether Republicans control the chamber.
Republican Study Committee Chairman August Pfluger has also been discussed privately as a possible contender for a future leadership position.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
