House Majority Leader Steve Scalise entered the bid for the top Republican post in the House on Wednesday, turning the race for minority leader into a contest against Rep. Jim Jordan. Scalise indicated that his primary objective would be to unify the caucus and lead the party back to a majority after Republicans lost control of the House in Tuesday’s midterms.
The leadership battle follows Speaker Mike Johnson’s announcement that he would not seek the position after consulting with Donald Trump. While Jordan has campaigned on the need for a “new face” to combat Democratic investigations, the House Republican conference will decide the top role in a secret-ballot election scheduled for next week.