The United States midterm elections have reshaped the balance of power in Washington, DC, breaking the Republican Party’s grip on Congress.
With Democrats set to take control of both legislative chambers in January, Republicans are preparing for a change in congressional leadership.
On Tuesday, Republicans in the House of Representatives and the Senate will hold elections to select the party’s leaders through the final two years of Donald Trump’s presidency.
Several senior positions are at stake, including minority leader, minority whip and conference chair. But what do these jobs entail, and who is competing for them?
Because the US has long had a two-party system – revolving around Democrats and Republicans – each side organises its own leadership in the chambers of Congress.
The aim is to present a united front on legislation and other congressional matters.
When the 120th Congress is sworn in this January, the Republican Party will be in the minority in both chambers.
Democrats will have majorities of at least 54 seats in the 100-member Senate and at least 254 in the House, which has a total of 435 voting members.
To organise as the minority party, Republicans will need to choose leaders for both the House and Senate.
The minority leader in a given chamber is the most senior member of whichever party holds the fewest seats. The leader serves as the party’s chief spokesperson, coordinates its legislative strategy and negotiates with the majority party.
The minority whip is the second-ranking leadership position. The whip counts votes, communicates with lawmakers and works to keep members united behind the party’s positions.
Republicans also elect other leadership positions, including the conference chair, who oversees internal party meetings and helps shape the party’s messaging. Committee chairs also need to be selected to help develop legislative priorities.
The biggest contest in the House is for minority leader, with longtime rivals Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Jim Jordan of Ohio competing for the position.
Scalise, who has held senior Republican leadership positions for more than a decade, served as House majority whip from 2014 to 2018 and minority whip from 2019 to 2022. He has put himself forward as an experienced leader who can unite the party and guide Republicans through their return to the minority.
Jordan, a founding member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus and a close Trump ally, is campaigning on a more aggressive approach to confronting the Democratic majority.
In a letter to colleagues, the Ohio lawmaker described himself as “battle-tested” and argued he could better coordinate the party’s response to Democrat-led investigations into the Trump administration.
The contest for minority whip, the party’s second-ranking position, is between current majority whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota and August Pfluger of Texas.
Emmer is seeking to retain the position. He has acknowledged the scale of the party’s midterm losses, but argued that Republicans must remain united as they move into the minority.
Pfluger, who chairs the Republican Study Committee, is making the case for a change in leadership. In a letter to colleagues, he said the party needed “fresh ideas” and a clearer strategy to win back the House in 2028.
Senate majority leader John Thune of South Dakota is seeking to retain his position as his party’s leader in the chamber.
That would make him the minority leader when Democrats take control of the chamber in January.
Thune, who succeeded longtime Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell in 2025, has so far faced no public challenger for the seat.
Republican John Barrasso of Wyoming, currently the majority whip, is also expected to seek another term as the party’s second-ranking leader in the Senate.
There has been some pushback against holding the Senate leadership elections so soon after the midterm losses, though.
Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin has pushed to delay the vote, arguing Republicans should have more time to assess the election results.
“It’s not like we’ve got to quick-form a majority in the Senate and do all the things with the committees. We have time,” Johnson told Fox News.
“This is time for reflection. This is time not to just, quick, make a knee-jerk decision.”
Senators like Mike Lee of Utah have voiced support for Johnson’s campaign.
“We have no business holding Senate Republican leadership elections until: (1) we’ve had ample opportunity to discuss what happened on Tuesday, and (2) we know who’s going to be in our conference,” Lee wrote on social media.
Mike Johnson will lose his position as House speaker when Democrats take control of the chamber in January. The speaker is elected by the entire House, and the majority traditionally nominates someone from within its party.
Johnson announced he will not seek the House minority leader position, clearing the way for Scalise and Jordan to compete for the top Republican post.
However, Johnson is not leaving Congress. He will remain a member of the House and continue representing his Louisiana district.
Tuesday’s internal party elections will determine who leads the Republicans through their transition to minority status as they prepare to challenge Democratic control of Congress.
The leadership race will also test whether Republicans intend to continue backing Trump’s agenda or rethink their approach.
