House Majority Leader Steve Scalise has not decided whether he will serve out the full term in the next Congress, which begins in January.
“There’s no decision on what’s next,” the Louisiana Republican said Wednesday. He said he first needs to get through the coming weeks, then consider what life in the House minority will look like. “But I sure still have a great passion for this country.”
Scalise’s comments came after he lost to Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio in the race for House minority leader. He now faces a choice between retiring and staying in Congress as a rank-and-file member when Democrats take control of the House.
For the moment, he said, his attention is on advancing Republican priorities before the year ends.
“There’s a lot more for us to do,” Scalise said, pointing to the remaining weeks of the lame-duck session and several major issues. “I want to see us do as much as we possibly can while we still have this majority.”
He added that he still has “a lot more gas in the tank,” though he acknowledged that a significant shift is coming in January.
Jordan defeated Scalise 106-73 in Tuesday’s Republican leadership vote.
First elected to Congress in 2008, Scalise joined the party’s leadership in 2014. He served as House whip under Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, and continued in the role after Boehner left and Paul Ryan of Wisconsin became speaker.
During that period, Donald Trump was gaining support in the Republican presidential primary. In 2017, Scalise was shot at a congressional baseball practice. The attack led to lasting health complications, while also raising his national profile.
In 2023, after Republicans won back the House under Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California, Scalise became majority leader. He later ran for speaker after McCarthy was ousted, but Republicans ultimately backed Mike Johnson of Louisiana for the role.
Asked whether he would have handled his latest leadership bid differently, Scalise said he had no regrets.
“Nothing that could have been done differently in the leadership race,” he said.
Scalise also said he felt some relief after the contest, noting that leadership roles demand substantial time and focus and can take him away from his family and life back home. He said he would have a little more free time now.
After the Nov. 3 midterm elections, Republicans have just under seven weeks to pursue legislation while they still control both chambers of Congress. The 120th Congress is scheduled to begin Jan. 3, 2027.
