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Congressman Jim Jordan is now the frontrunner to lead Republicans in the minority after Democrats thumped them in last week's midterm elections.
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Democrats → sign → elections
Jordan's allies are privately claiming he has more than 100 votes locked up, comfortably above the roughly 82 needed to win the secret-ballot election, according to Punchbowl News.
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votes → claim → News
Congressman Steve Scalise's team, however, is disputing the claim.
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team → dispute → claim
The contest has become a test of whether Republicans want a fresh approach after their election bloodbath or believe Scalise's years of leadership experience offer the best chance of winning back the majority in 2028.
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years → become → 2028
Speaking ahead of the vote, Scalise said he was 'feeling really good' about his chances.
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he → speak → chances
A final vote is expected later Tuesday.
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vote → expect → ?
'We've got a lot of work to do after today, but this is a start of our move to get the country back on track and to get the majority back,' Scalise said.
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Scalise → get → majority
'
But it's Jordan who appeared to be gaining momentum inside the closed-door candidate forum, according to Punchbowl News.
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who → appear → News
Jordan's allies are privately claiming he has more than 100 votes locked up, comfortably above the roughly 82 needed to win the secret-ballot election.
asserted
he → claim → election
Scalise's team, however, is disputing the claim
The race has also drawn attention because neither President Donald Trump nor outgoing Speaker Mike Johnson has publicly endorsed a candidate
Representative Scott Fitzgerald publicly declared his support for Jordan Tuesday saying, 'I'm pulling for Jim Jordan, that's no secret.
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that → dispute → Jordan
I've been working with the chairman to garner the votes and help him fine tune his message to the members'
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him → work → members
Jordan was making a pitch centered on being a fighter, with even some Scalise allies privately acknowledging that the message appeared to be swaying members after the party's midterm defeat.
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message → make → defeat
Jordan has picked up the backing of several prominent Republicans.
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Jordan → pick → Republicans
Representative Mike Rulli publicly backed Jordan, and during the closed-door meeting, Rulli allegedly stood up and demanded to know what House GOP leaders planned to do with the remainder of their time in the majority.
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leaders → back → majority
He said voters back home were demanding more action than they were seeing from Republicans, with his remarks drawing approving comments and cheers from others/
Representative Scott Fitzgerald publicly declared his support on Tuesday saying, 'You're not going to find a better fighter and better communicator.'
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You → say → fighter
Representative Andy Harris, chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, has also backed Jordan, arguing the party needs to 'change the team.'
Scalise, meanwhile, has the support of Republicans who believe his experience at the top of the party makes him the safer choice.
Representative Rick Allen said he would be supporting the Louisiana Republican, declaring, 'He should get the Medal of Honor.
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He → back → Honor
I mean, he has laid it all out there.'
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he → mean → it
Representatives Mike Kelly, Nathaniel Moran and Mario Diaz-Balart have also backed Scalise.
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Kelly → back → Scalise
Diaz-Balart has argued that Scalise is best placed to rebuild the party by returning its focus to the economy and national security.
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Scalise → argue → economy
The race has also drawn attention because neither President Donald Trump nor outgoing Speaker Mike Johnson has publicly endorsed a candidate.
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Trump → draw → candidate
Trump said last week that he would stay out of the race.
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he → say → race
Johnson has also refused to reveal a preference, saying he wants Republican lawmakers to make the decision themselves.
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lawmakers → refuse → decision
'I want the body, I want the members to make those decisions themselves,' he said.
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he → want → decisions
'I'm not weighing in here on the leadership elections.'
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I → weigh → elections
The vote was originally expected to take place Tuesday morning, but the schedule ran into a series of committee hearings, pushing the leadership decision into the afternoon.
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schedule → expect → afternoon
The newly elected leader will immediately face a flurry of challenges, including how to combat the Democratic Party's push for investigations into the Trump administration in January.
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leader → elect → January
The Aporia
