Jeffries Launches Speaker Bid as Scalise and Jordan Vie to Lead House GOP

The race to lead the next Congress started almost as soon as the midterm results came in. On Wednesday, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) formally announced he will run for speaker of the House. On the Republican side, Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) began competing to lead what will be the House GOP minority in January.

The moves follow Tuesday’s elections, in which Democrats won control of both the House and the Senate for the final two years of President Donald Trump’s term. Several races, including two U.S. Senate contests, are still being counted.

Jeffries asks Democrats for the gavel

In a letter to House Democrats on Wednesday, Jeffries wrote that he would “humbly request your support in connection with my candidacy” for speaker, according to Fox News. He made the announcement at a press conference alongside Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) and Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), who signaled they would seek the No. 2 and No. 3 leadership posts.

If elected, Jeffries would be the first Black speaker of the House, ABC News noted. According to ABC, House Democrats will hold closed-door leadership elections on Nov. 18. Jeffries needs a simple majority of his caucus to be nominated and then 218 votes on the House floor in January. Fox News reported that, given the size of the Democratic majority, he is likely to have little trouble winning the gavel, though a small group of newly elected progressive members could create challenges for party leaders.

Jeffries framed his agenda around affordability, accountability and American values. Democrats have said they want to reverse Republican Medicaid cuts, extend enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits that expired at the start of 2026, end the war with Iran and use the House to check the executive branch. Jeffries has also said he will look for bipartisan common ground on lowering costs.

Scalise and Jordan compete to lead Republicans

Republicans are reorganizing after Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said he would not seek the top GOP post in the next Congress, as Upstormed News reported Wednesday. Scalise formally entered the race for minority leader with a letter to colleagues. “Last night’s election was far worse than any of us expected,” he wrote, according to WVUE in New Orleans. In the same letter, he warned that House Democrats would use their committee power aggressively against the administration.

Jordan, a leading figure in the party’s conservative wing, is also running and has described himself as “battle-tested on the oversight front,” according to Roll Call. Both men sought the speakership in 2023 after Kevin McCarthy was removed, but neither won enough support at that time.

Other posts are also in play. Roll Call reported that Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) has been building support for the No. 2 job of minority whip, and Republican Study Committee Chairman August Pfluger (R-Texas) has also pitched himself for that role. House Republicans are expected to vote behind closed doors next week.

How the White House and Senate leaders responded

President Trump said in a Fox News interview that he was surprised by the results. “I thought we would do better,” he said, according to ABC News. He blamed Republican candidates in many races and said he was willing to work with Democrats for the good of the country, while reminding them that he can veto their bills.

In the Senate, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is in line to become majority leader in January. Schumer called the results a “generational remake of the Senate map,” according to NPR. He said Democrats would work to lower costs with or without the president’s support. Trump, for his part, has said Democrats are not fully in control because of his veto power, meaning many of their priorities would still need his signature to become law.

Senate races still being counted

• Mississippi: Democrat Scott Colom led Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith by 1,138 votes in unofficial results Wednesday evening, up from a 65-vote lead earlier that day, according to WLBT. Hundreds of affidavit and mail-in ballots were still outstanding, and the Secretary of State’s office said the race may not be called until next Friday.
• Alaska: The race between Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan and Democrat Mary Peltola has seesawed as ballots are counted. The Hill reported that most remaining early and mail ballots will be counted Nov. 10, with ranked-choice tabulation, if needed, set for Nov. 18.

Results are unofficial until certified by state officials. Upstormed News will follow both races and the leadership votes in the coming weeks.

Why it matters for families

• The speaker and the leaders of each party decide which bills reach a vote, including measures on health insurance costs, Medicaid and tariffs that affect household budgets.
• With Congress and the White House now divided, many policies may require compromise between the parties, or face a presidential veto.
• For voters who want to follow the final counts, official results come from state election offices, which post updates as ballots are tallied.

What do you most want the new Congress to work on first?

Read more: Election Day 2026: Courts Settle Last Disputes as Polls Begin Closing at 6 p.m.

Sources: Fox News via Yahoo News, “Hakeem Jeffries declares bid for House speaker after GOP’s midterm massacre” (November 4, 2026); ABC News, “Election 2026 live results: Hakeem Jeffries officially launches bid to be 1st Black speaker of the House” (November 4, 2026); Roll Call, “House GOP races to lock down new leadership after blue wave” (November 4, 2026); WVUE/KALB, “Scalise to seek GOP’s House leadership position to help ward off ‘socialists’” (November 4, 2026); ABC News, “Trump says he was ‘a little bit surprised’ after Democrats’ big win in midterms” (November 4, 2026); NPR via OPB, “Chuck Schumer heralds Democrats’ ‘generational remake’ of Senate” (November 4, 2026); WLBT, “Did your county help make Mississippi’s Senate race this close?” (November 4, 2026); The Hill via AOL, “Peltola takes slight lead in Alaska Senate race” (November 4, 2026)