WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee Jim Jordan, a conservative Republican from Ohio, was elected by House Republicans as their next minority leader on Tuesday, Fox News reported.
Jordan defeated Majority Leader Steve Scalise, currently the House of Representatives' No. 2 leader, in what Fox News described as a close race.
Several Republican lawmakers pressed both prospective leaders on how they would unite the conference following their midterm losses and handle leaks to journalists, Fox News reported.
Jordan, a hard-line Republican, has become one of Trump's most vocal supporters in recent years. He will now serve as the "go-to defender" as Democrats prepare a barrage of investigations targeting Trump's Cabinet, family, and business interests, the report noted.
Republicans currently hold 218 of the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. However, Democrats flipped more than 40 seats in the Nov. 3 midterm elections and are expected to hold more than 250 seats when the new Congress is sworn in January.
After the Republican Party's midterm losses, House Speaker Mike Johnson announced that he would not seek the post of House minority leader for the next two years. ■
