Steve Scalise
House Majority Leader from Louisiana who lost the 2026 Republican leader race to Jim Jordan.
Scalise lost the House Republican leader race to Jim Jordan by 73 votes to 106 on 10 November, CNBC reported, leaving the outgoing majority leader without a leadership post as his party moves into the minority.
Last refreshed: 11 November 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
What role is left for Steve Scalise after losing to Jim Jordan?
Timeline for Steve Scalise
Lost the leadership vote to Jim Jordan
US Midterms 2026: Jim Jordan wins House GOP leader raceBackground
Scalise has represented Louisiana's 1st District since 2008. He was Majority Whip from 2014 to 2019 and became Majority Leader in January 2023.
In 2017 he was critically wounded when a gunman opened fire on a Republican congressional baseball practice. In October 2023 the conference nominated him for Speaker, but he withdrew within days.
Speaker Mike Johnson's decision not to run opened the minority leader post after the 2026 midterms. Scalise lost that race to Jim Jordan, 73 votes to 106, on 10 November and leaves the leadership as Republicans move into the minority. Jordan, a founder of the House Freedom Caucus, takes the post Scalise sought.
Scalise loses the race to lead Republicans
Speaker Mike Johnson said on 4 November that he would not run after Democrats won The House, opening the top job in the Republican minority. On 10 November the conference picked Jordan over Scalise by 106 votes to 73, CNBC reported.
The defeat ends Scalise's second attempt to lead the conference. In October 2023 it nominated him for Speaker, but he withdrew within days. He enters the 120th Congress as the former number two, with no leadership post, while Jordan, a founder of the House Freedom Caucus, leads the minority.
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Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 11 November 2026. Editorial standards.