Conservative firebrand and co-founder of the far-right House Freedom Caucus, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) has been elected to serve as House minority leader after a brutal midterm for the Republican Party.

Jordan defeated Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.), the outgoing House majority leader, in a closed-door election at the Capitol Visitor Center, winning 106-73. Scalise has held a GOP leadership role since 2014 and has served as the No. 2 in the conference since 2019. This likely worked against Scalise as several GOP lawmakers at the Capitol blamed the current party leadership for the heavy losses.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) announced the day after the election that he would not run for minority leader in the 120th Congress.

Jordan’s move to lead the House Republican conference comes as the party suffered a crushing defeat in the midterms last week, which saw Democrats flip control of both the House and Senate.

The blue wave that crashed into the midterms has Democrats on track to control roughly 260 seats in the next Congress, a massive majority that will give the likely House Speaker, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), a comfortable cushion to move his party’s legislative priorities.

Democrats are also vowing to conduct exhaustive investigations into Trump, his family, and his administration, making Jordan the first line of defense for his ally in the White House, The Hill noted.