Key Summary
- House Republicans chose Jim Jordan of Ohio as their next leader in a closed-door vote after losing the House majority in the midterm elections.
- Jordan defeated current House Republican leader Steve Scalise by 106 votes to 73.
- Jordan is a close ally of Donald Trump and a prominent hardline conservative within the party.
- He has also criticized South Korea’s regulation of Coupang, accusing Korean authorities of discriminatory treatment toward U.S. companies.
Main Story
House Republicans selected Jim Jordan to lead their caucus after the party’s defeat in the midterm elections cost it control of the House. The Ohio lawmaker won a closed-party ballot on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press and other outlets, receiving 106 votes and defeating Steve Scalise, who had 73.
Because Republicans lost the House majority in the November 3 midterms, Jordan is set to serve as minority leader when the 120th Congress begins in January. He is one of the party’s best-known conservative hardliners and helped found the House Freedom Caucus, a group associated with the party’s right wing.
Jordan has also been identified as a close ally of former President Donald Trump. He previously ran for House speaker in 2023 but did not secure enough support within his party.
During the leadership contest, Jordan said he would vigorously confront Democratic efforts in the next Congress. Democrats have said they plan to pursue broad investigations into Trump, his family, and members of his administration once they control both chambers.
Andy Harris, who chairs the Freedom Caucus, said Jordan was the right figure to challenge what he called the Democrats’ radical agenda.
Beyond domestic politics, Jordan has drawn attention in South Korea for his criticism of government oversight of Coupang. In February, he issued a subpoena in his role as chair of the House Judiciary Committee, seeking documents and testimony from the company. He argued that Korean regulators were enforcing rules in an unfair way against the U.S.-linked firm and suggested that American companies were being targeted in favor of Korean and Chinese competitors.
The Judiciary Committee later released a report in July saying South Korea’s regulation of Coupang was discriminatory. South Korean officials rejected that allegation, saying investigations are carried out fairly and under domestic law regardless of a company’s national origin.
On the Senate side, Republicans kept John Thune as their leader for the next Congress. Some lawmakers had called for postponing leadership elections to first assess the reasons for the party’s midterm losses, but no challenger emerged for Thune.
Background
The supplied article provides only limited background: Republicans lost the House majority in the midterm elections, and the next Congress is due to begin in January. No additional background was provided.
Items Requiring Further Verification
- Claims that Korean regulators treated Coupang unfairly and that the company was targeted in favor of Korean and Chinese rivals are attributed assertions, not established facts in the source.
- The description of Democrats’ planned investigations into Trump, his family, and his administration is a forecast attributed to Democrats.
- The characterization of Jordan as the right person to oppose a “radical agenda” is an opinion attributed to Andy Harris.
- The article’s reference to a report by the House Judiciary Committee is a cited event, but the full findings and methodology are not detailed in the supplied text.