Punchbowl News

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, has announced he will run for House Minority Leader after Republicans lost their House majority in Tuesday's midterm elections. Jordan, who won reelection in Ohio's 4th District, made his candidacy official in a letter to colleagues, calling for the party to regroup and aggressively challenge Democrats to retake the majority. He offered an implicit critique of outgoing Speaker Mike Johnson, who is not running for the minority leader post. Jordan's bid makes him the first declared candidate in what is expected to be a contested leadership race shaping House Republicans' strategy in the minority.

Texas PAC, a super PAC backed by Senate Leadership Fund and aligned with Senate Republican leadership, could spend as much as $200 million by Nov. 3 to boost Ken Paxton's Senate campaign, according to Punchbowl News. The group has already booked $117 million in advertising in the state as it works to help Paxton compete against Democratic state Rep. James Talarico, with further spending contingent on how much Senate Leadership Fund can raise.

The scale of the investment underscores GOP anxiety about the race: Paxton has not led Talarico in a single public poll since mid-August, and private Republican polling reportedly mirrors those public numbers. The heavy spending signals Texas, traditionally a safe Republican seat, is now viewed as competitive, a development prediction markets tracking Senate control will likely weigh closely as the race tightens heading into November.