A week after devastating midterm losses, House Republicans face a choice: retain experienced leaders or turn to challengers promising a fresh start.

Tuesday’s secret-ballot leadership elections will determine who guides the party into the minority after Democrats secured the largest House majority won by either party in more than 30 years. Speaker Mike Johnson is leaving in January, but other senior Republicans are fighting to keep their positions.

“Somebody’s got to get fired,” said Rep. Marlin Stutzman of Indiana, who is backing challengers in the three top races “because we got our butts handed to us.”

The contest for minority leader pits Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio against Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana. Jordan, a 20-year House veteran and prominent hard-right figure who has never served in senior leadership, has criticized Johnson and Scalise for operating too often without a clear plan.

Scalise, who has held the party’s No. 2 or No. 3 position since 2014, is emphasizing his fundraising experience and long-standing relationships. He argues that having navigated the Democratic takeover in 2018, he is prepared to lead Republicans back to a majority.

Rep. Mike Haridopolos of Florida said Scalise understands “how to go from the minority to the majority” and brings experience confronting Democrats on the House floor.

The leadership-versus-outsider dynamic extends down the ballot. Republican whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota faces Rep. August Pfluger of Texas, the Republican Study Committee chair. Conference Chair Lisa McClain of Michigan is being challenged by Reps. Erin Houchin of Indiana and Greg Steube of Florida amid dissatisfaction with party messaging.

Not all members are voting along those lines: Some plan to split their tickets between current leaders and challengers.

The winners must confront the loss of at least 42 House seats and navigate the final two years of President Donald Trump’s presidency. Neither Trump nor Johnson has endorsed a candidate, and neither Jordan nor Scalise has signaled plans to distance the conference from the president.

Rep. Mike Simpson of Idaho, who supports the three sitting leaders, rejected the idea that leadership caused the defeat. “There’s nothing that we could have done that could have stopped this blue tsunami,” he said.