Ted Lieu says House Republicans clearly chose the more extreme candidate

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House Republicans elect Jim Jordan as their leader after midterm losses; Brian Mast and Anna Paulina Luna praise his fighting style, and Ted Lieu says the party chose the more extreme candidate

House Republicans elected Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio as their leader for the next Congress on November 10, 2026, a week after the party lost its House majority in the midterm elections. In a secret-ballot vote of members who will serve in the new Congress, Jordan defeated Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, the current majority leader, 106 to 73. He will succeed Speaker Mike Johnson, who did not run again. Jordan told reporters that Republicans would fight for American families and offer more freedom when Democrats offer more government. Rep. Brian Mast, who nominated him, said the way Jordan fights says a lot about where the conference is, and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna said he knows about weaponization as Democrats prepare investigations of the administration. Democrats said the choice showed Republicans took the wrong lesson from their losses. Rep. Pramila Jayapal said the party might have chosen someone who would moderate toward what voters want, and Rep. Ted Lieu said the conference clearly chose the more extreme candidate. Rep. Ayanna Pressley said Republicans are doubling down on what she called far-right MAGA extremism.