Scalise and Jordan Both Launch Bids to Lead House Republicans in the Minority After Johnson Steps Aside, With a Vote Set for Tuesday, Daily Caller Reports
The Daily Caller says Majority Leader Steve Scalise made it official Wednesday, setting up a contest with Rep. Jim Jordan. Scalise says the party must be ready for what he calls an aggressive Democratic oversight agenda.
The race to lead House Republicans through the Democratic majority now has two declared candidates, the Daily Caller News Foundation reports.
What happened. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan both launched bids Wednesday to become their party's next leader after the loss of the majority, the Caller says. It reports they will face off on Tuesday for minority leader in the next Congress. The excerpt we could read does not give a calendar date.
Johnson. The Caller says House Speaker Mike Johnson announced he will not seek a leadership role now that Democrats have retaken the House. We covered the first reports of that decision, and of Jordan's plans, on Wednesday.
Scalise's pitch. In a message to colleagues quoted by the Caller, Scalise said: "To succeed in this fight, we will need to stand united as one team, be smart and strategic to secure conservative policy wins where we can, closely coordinate our defense against aggressive oversight and together develop a clear vision and agenda to earn back the majority in 2028." He added: "I am ready to lead on day one and chart our path back to the majority."
The Caller says Scalise pointed to the Working Families Tax Cuts and to his fights against what he called "far-left Democrat bills," and that he plans to work on discrediting Democrats' possible investigations of President Trump and his administration. It quotes him saying: "House Democrats are about to unleash the most radical 'oversight' agenda we have seen in years. Yes, they will seek to impeach President Trump, but their focus will extend far beyond the Oval Office."
Why it matters here. Whoever wins becomes the party's lead voice against subpoenas and any impeachment effort, a point we noted in our earlier report. Fox News had said a minority leader needs only a majority of the party's own members, not of the whole House.
What we could not check. We could read only part of the Caller's page. The remaining text, including any comment from Jordan, was not available to us, so we cannot say how he framed his bid. The Caller's report is built on statements from the candidates. We have not counted votes or seen a whip count.