Trump ally elected US House Republican leader after election rout

Jordan, a founding member of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, had pitched himself as the fighter Republicans need to confront Democrats during the final two years of Trump's presidency.

His victory -- which was celebrated by multiple House colleagues on social media -- represented a rejection of the party's established leadership, with Scalise having served in senior Republican positions for more than a decade.

Both men are staunch Trump allies, but the president declined to endorse either candidate.

The contest was a rematch of their 2023 battle for the speakership following the ouster of Kevin McCarthy.

Scalise initially won the Republican nomination but withdrew after failing to secure sufficient support, while Jordan subsequently lost three votes on the House floor before Johnson emerged as a compromise candidate.

Jordan, a former champion wrestler who has represented Ohio in Congress since 2007, built his reputation as a political brawler and fierce critic of the Republican establishment.

Former speaker John Boehner once branded him a "legislative terrorist" for his uncompromising tactics.

He also emerged as a leading defender of Trump during congressional investigations into the president's attempts to overturn his 2020 election defeat.

Meanwhile, Senate Republicans suspended their own leadership election Tuesday amid demands for a reckoning over their midterm losses and a clearer strategy for confronting the incoming Democratic majority.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune had been expected to win another term unopposed, but conservative lawmakers demanded more time to discuss the party's direction.

"We have 55 days until the Democrats take over," Republican Senator Rick Scott told reporters, according to The Hill.

"I want to know what we're going to do between now and then to get stuff done."