In the GOP House vote, Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan won 106-to-73 over Louisiana Congressman Steve Scalise to be House Minority Leader when the 120th Congress convenes in January.
GOP House members chose their new leader after House Speaker Mike Johnson stepped down from leadership after Republicans experienced shocking defeats in last week’s midterm elections.
In the U.S. Senate, however, Senate Majority Leader John Thune refused to step down from a leadership role and was elected Senate Minority Leader in a hurried vote.
Even though polls predicted Republicans might maintain a narrow Senate majority, eight GOP-held seats flipped to a Democrat instead, counting a Mississippi seat which just became official Wednesday. The undecided Alaska race could add to that number.
A Fox News story described how Thune acted quickly on Tuesday to gather key lieutenants around him to maintain power in the coming GOP minority. He did so after a few fellow senators asked for a delay, presumably to organize a challenger or to win concessions, but they were voted down.
The procedural vote by GOP senators to move ahead with electing a leader was 30-15 with a secret ballot vote. After the delay vote was defeated, Thune was elected by acclamation in a closed-door conference meeting.
Thune’s successful effort to remain in power surprised and angered conservatives, especially after Speaker Johnson chose to step down from a leadership role in the House.
Reacting to a Politico headline about Thune’s election, Daily Wire writer Megan Basham complained the “establishment” was the only winner after the midterms.
“What does it mean to be the establishment? It means shamelessly hanging on to the grubby ruins of what you destroyed with all the might left in your useless, bony claws,” she wrote on X.
Kevin Roberts, president of the Heritage Foundation, praised Speaker Johnson for passing numerous bills in the House only for the legislation to never come up for a vote in the Senate.
“And now the same GOP Senate leadership wants to be trusted to lead again? It’s an insult to the American people,” Roberts wrote on X.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who led the charge to delay the vote, told Fox News the election was held too quickly. He also complained nobody was given an opportunity to challenge any of the leadership positions.
A second GOP senator, Josh Hawley (R-MO), also supported a delay on choosing Thune. He told Politico the Republican Party had witnessed the “worst set of losses since Watergate” after the midterm elections.
Tom Zawistowski, an Ohio-based conservative activist, told American Family News one bright spot is Jordan’s election as House Minority Leader.
“He's not someone who's going to stab the president in the back, and he's tough. He's not going to be intimidated,” Zawistowski said. “ “He's going to stand for what he believes in and form a tea party grassroots perspective. That's the best we can do.”
