Steve Scalise won’t commit to full term after losing minority leader race

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., the No. 2 Republican in the House of Representatives and the most tenured figure among the chamber’s party leadership, declined to say whether he would commit to serving the full term in the upcoming 120th Congress.

“There’s no decision on what’s next,” Scalise said on Wednesday.

“I’ve got to get through these next few weeks, and then we have a lot of decisions to make about what’s life going to look like in the minority. But I sure still have a great passion for this country.”

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Scalise’s answer follows a loss to Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, in a bid to become the party’s new minority leader. His defeat now forces Scalise to decide whether he intends to retire or remain on Capitol Hill as a rank-and-file member of the minority as Democrats retake control of the House in January.

For now, Scalise stressed that he remains focused on securing GOP priorities before the new year.

“There’s a lot more for us to do. We have a few weeks left in the lame duck [session] and, frankly, a few big, big issues ahead. I want to see us do as much as we possibly can while we still have this majority,” Scalise said.

“I’ve got a lot more gas in the tank. Obviously, all of us know there’s some real change coming in January. We still have work to do right now.”

Jordan beat out Scalise in a 106-73 vote in Tuesday’s GOP elections.

Scalise, who was elected in 2008 and first joined Republican leadership in 2014, proved a steady figure and mouthpiece for conservative principles even as the party shifted dramatically around him.

Scalise originally served as House whip alongside Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.

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Although Boehner would eventually step down after the right flank of the party accused him of failing to secure GOP priorities, Scalise remained a constant, continuing to serve as whip under his successor, Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis. Around the same time, Donald Trump, then just a candidate for president, began gaining momentum in the GOP primary.

As the party’s core began to gravitate toward Trump, Scalise’s time in Congress and personal well-being were challenged when he was shot at a congressional baseball practice in 2017.

Although the incident left him with health complications, the attack elevated Scalise’s national profile.

“Just left hospital. Rep. Steve Scalise, one of the truly great people, is in very tough shape — but he is a real fighter. Pray for Steve!” Trump said in a post to social media at the time.

In 2023, Scalise would climb to the No. 2 job, becoming majority leader after Republicans recaptured the House of Representatives under Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.

And when McCarthy himself was removed from the post for failing to deliver Republican demands to cut spending, Scalise launched an unsuccessful bid for speaker.

Instead, Scalise remained majority leader as Republicans rallied around Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La.

Asked if he would have done anything differently in his most recent bid to lead the House GOP, Scalise said he had no regrets.

“Nothing that could have been done differently in the leadership race,” Scalise said.

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“There’s clearly a lot of weight lifted now. I mean, these leadership jobs take a lot of time, a lot of focus. I love doing the work… it takes you away from your family, from other things that you enjoy doing back home. I’ll have a little more free time there,” he added.

Following the Nov. 3 midterm elections, Republicans have a little under seven weeks to press for legislative priorities with their majorities in the House and Senate.

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The 120th Congress is set to begin on Jan. 3, 2027.