Rep. Jim Jordan has been elected House minority leader, defeating Majority Leader Steve Scalise as Republicans prepare to confront a new Democratic majority and rebuild after sweeping election losses.

Jordan won the secret-ballot vote 106-73, according to two people present for the tally. The victory gives the Ohio Republican the party’s top House leadership post on his third attempt to lead the conference.

A co-founder of the House Freedom Caucus and a prominent MAGA figure, Jordan argued that he was equipped for political combat with Democrats. In a letter to colleagues, he described himself as “battle tested on the oversight front.” He currently chairs the House Judiciary Committee and previously chaired the Oversight Committee.

The leadership contest followed heavy Republican losses last week that prompted Speaker Mike Johnson to step aside from leadership and forced the party to reassess its direction. For some members, Jordan represented a break from Scalise, who has held senior leadership positions for more than a decade.

Jordan, 62, first sought the minority leader position in 2018 but lost to Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, who later became speaker. When McCarthy was ousted as speaker in 2023, Jordan again sought the top job. He lost a secret-ballot conference vote to Scalise during that contest and ultimately failed to secure the speakership.

Moderate Republicans helped block Jordan’s speaker bid, but many of those opponents will no longer serve in Congress. This time, Jordan needed only a majority of the Republican conference, rather than a majority of the full House.

In the years since his unsuccessful speaker campaign, Jordan had worked to strengthen his position for another leadership bid, improving his fundraising and traveling extensively to campaign alongside Republican colleagues.

Scalise’s next move remains unclear. The Louisiana Republican, who entered the leadership ranks in 2014, had argued that he was best positioned to help the party recapture the House majority in 2028. Some Republicans, however, are questioning whether that goal is attainable after last week’s Democratic wave.