Republicans pick their leaders after midterm losses: Thune stays, Jordan beats Scalise

A week after a rough midterm election, Republicans in Congress have picked the people who will lead them in the minority. On Tuesday, November 10, Senate Republicans kept John Thune as their leader, and House Republicans chose Jim Jordan of Ohio over Steve Scalise. Speaker Mike Johnson didn't run.

Now comes the hard part. Before Democrats take over in January, this outgoing Congress still has to keep the government open, and it's running out of time.

The Senate: Thune stays on

Senate Republicans re-elected John Thune of South Dakota as their leader by acclamation, with no one running against him, according to CBS News and ABC News. Some senators had questioned his leadership after the election, and Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin pushed to delay the vote. The conference went ahead anyway.

The rest of the Senate team stays the same:

• Whip: Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming.
• Conference chair: Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas.
• Policy chair: Sen. Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia.
• Campaign chair (NRSC): Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio, replacing Sen. Tim Scott.

Republicans lost at least seven Senate seats in the midterms, with two races still undecided, according to ABC News. So Thune goes from majority leader to minority leader when the new Congress starts in January.

The House: Jordan beats Scalise

The bigger change is in the House. Speaker Mike Johnson announced last week that he wouldn't run for minority leader. That opened the door to a two-man race between Jim Jordan and Steve Scalise, the current majority leader.

Jordan won 106 to 73 in a closed-door vote, according to sources cited by CBS News and ABC News.

Jordan is a familiar name. He chairs the House Judiciary Committee, he co-founded the conservative House Freedom Caucus and served as its first chairman, and he is a close ally of President Trump. After the vote he said Republicans "will fight for American families," admitted the party had "operated without a clear plan," and called himself "battle-tested."

Scalise, first elected in 2008, has been in House GOP leadership since 2014. He was badly wounded in the 2017 shooting at a congressional baseball practice and is in remission from multiple myeloma, a blood cancer. "Overcoming adversity is nothing new to me," he wrote after the vote.

The rest of the House GOP team:

• Whip (No. 2): Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota, who beat Rep. August Pfluger of Texas.
• Conference chair (No. 3): Rep. Lisa McClain of Michigan, who beat Reps. Erin Houchin and Greg Steube.
• Campaign chair (NRCC): Rep. Brian Jack of Georgia, replacing Rep. Richard Hudson, who lost his own race.

How big was the loss? Republicans lost more than 40 House seats, according to CBS News. As of Tuesday, Democrats held 254 seats and Republicans 166, with 15 races still undecided, according to ABC News. Democrats hold their own leadership elections next week. Hakeem Jeffries is expected to become Speaker.

First job: keep the government open

This is the "lame-duck" session, the weeks between an election and the new Congress. Members who lost still vote until January. And there's a lot left on the table.

Government funding runs out December 11. The short-term funding bill Congress passed in September expires then. If nothing replaces it, the government shuts down. One House Republican told Fox News he expects another short-term extension running into February or March. "No one wants a shutdown, I would think," he said. The biggest fight is over defense money: the Trump administration wants a record $1.5 trillion, and Senate Democrats reject that, according to the group No Labels. Some Democrats have also said they could use the Iran war as leverage in the talks.

The debt limit is next. The government could hit its borrowing limit early next year. Fox News reports a deadline looming in January, and No Labels says it could come as soon as February 2027. Thune has said an increase "could come in the lame duck." For Republicans, there's a practical reason to do it now: after January, Democrats will control both chambers and get to set the terms.

Thune also wants to confirm as many of the president's judges and executive nominees as possible before the handover. Also still waiting: the annual defense bill, the farm bill, and the permitting reform bill the Senate began debating this week.

What it means for your wallet

A shutdown is the most direct risk. If funding lapses on December 11, many federal workers go without pay until it's fixed, and some government services slow down or stop. Past shutdowns have also delayed government economic reports that markets and the Federal Reserve rely on.

The debt limit matters more in the long run. If Washington ever came close to missing a payment, borrowing costs could go up. That means higher rates on mortgages, car loans and credit cards. It has never actually happened, and both parties say they don't want it to, but past standoffs have rattled markets.

The farm bill touches groceries. It expired on September 30. If Congress doesn't act by December 31, some farm programs fall back to old laws from the 1930s and 1940s, according to No Labels. That's a mess nobody wants, and it's why the farm bill usually gets patched at the last minute.

The common-sense view

Voters sent a clear message last week, and Republicans have answered with a mix of old and new: Thune stays in the Senate, while the House turns to one of its most combative conservatives. Whether that works will show up in 2028. For the next few weeks, though, the job is simpler and more basic. Pay the bills, keep the government open, and don't leave a mess for January. That's the test for both parties.

What to watch next

• A funding deal, or a short-term extension, before December 11.
• Whether a debt limit increase comes up before January.
• House Democrats' leadership elections next week, with Jeffries expected to become Speaker. Senate Democrats vote next month; Schumer says he's "confident" he'll be majority leader, but Sen. Bernie Sanders says he won't back him.