Will Jim Jordan and Bernie Moreno’s Role in Leadership Help Make or Break the 2028 Cycle?

With the results mostly in for the 2026 midterms, it is time to figure out leadership roles.

In the House of Representatives, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, was selected as the House minority leader for the 120th Congress.

While Majority Leader Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., will serve as the Senate minority leader, Ohio still gets representation in another way—Sen. Bernie Moreno will chair the National Republican Senatorial Committee.

The blue wave that swept the country was undeniable, and Ohio was no different at both the federal and statewide levels. In many ways, these roles for Jordan and Moreno can be daunting, thankless jobs. They could also serve to help put their party on the map for years to come.

Jordan has been a stalwart in Ohio and national politics, first while serving in the Ohio Statehouse and Senate, and now in Congress, where he has represented the 4th Congressional District since 2007. He’s been a memorable figure as an ally of President Donald Trump and chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. He had his own bid for speaker in 2023 after Kevin McCarthy’s ouster and was even endorsed by Trump.

He’s not afraid to call out Democrats and tell it like it is, and as minority leader, he’ll have even more of a reason to do so.

As part of that blue wave, Democrats are projected to control 255 seats in the House, according to Decision Desk HQ as of Friday morning. Jordan’s state of Ohio will go from a 10-5 congressional delegation favoring Republicans to an 8-7 delegation favoring Democrats, even after redistricting efforts from late last year that were court-ordered.

Regardless of how many seats his party has or doesn’t have, Jordan will be a worthy messenger, especially for the Trump White House. As the House minority leader, he’ll also get the magic minute to rant on the House floor for an unlimited time.

Jordan will certainly be helping with fundraising and campaigning for candidates. That messaging could help not just with Trump’s last two years in office, but these candidates as well.

When it comes to 2028, though, Moreno has arguably the most difficult and important job of all for the Senate. Republicans had something of a more favorable map to defend their 53-47 majority, as two independents caucus with Democrats. However, Democrats will be looking at a 55-44 majority for the 120th Congress, with the U.S. Senate race still not called in Alaska—though Democrat Mary Peltola currently leads. Republicans not only lost swing states, but also Mississippi, Kansas, and South Carolina.

Moreno has admitted to Fox News that it’ll be a tough battle ahead.

“Look, it is an absolutely brutal map, but, [in] politics, things change pretty quickly,” Moreno told Fox News Digital. “So, we’ll see how it is, but we’re going to be extraordinarily disciplined, we’re going to be extremely honest with our data. We [will] make certain that we hold our incumbents and our candidates accountable, and we’re going to make an appeal to donors as to how we should win.”

Moreno also pointed out that the party has “dealt with tough situations before.”

Democrats even see a chance to expand their majority in 2028. The swing state of Pennsylvania is on the map, as is Ohio. New Hampshire could also be seen as a potential Republican pickup, as could Georgia. While Sen.-elect Sherrod Brown beat Republican Sen. Jon Husted last week, who had been appointed to replace now-Vice President JD Vance, he has to run again in 2028. He was out of office for two years after Moreno beat him in 2024, having previously served three terms.

Moreno and Brown will not only have faced off against each other in the 2024 campaign but will now have to serve as senators at the same time. It’s ripe for drama and excitement. The incoming National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman has also made it his mission to take Brown down and beat him again in 2028.

Upon being selected, Moreno made quite the statement, recommending that Brown “rent, not buy” in D.C.

Much will depend on who the presidential nominee at the top of the ticket is. Ohio could play yet another role if Vance is the nominee. Moreno, who ran away with his contested primary win, likely won at least in part because Trump was on the ticket. Husted, for any faults he may have had, may not have been able to win no matter what, given the headwinds that Republicans faced nationwide and in Ohio.

If Jordan and Moreno succeed in their roles, with Moreno arguably having more clearcut metrics to fulfill, Ohio leadership will remain on the map as the red state it truly is and help save the Republican Party.

And yet, if either of them fails, which is admittedly a possibility, will it actually matter? It might not. Jordan has been in office so long and even won reelection by over 33%, also according to Decision Desk HQ. Moreno has repeatedly and publicly said he’d only serve for two terms. And while TMZ pointed out this week that he’s got “presidential” vibes, as someone who was born outside of the United States, and as he himself reminded, Moreno is constitutionally ineligible to run for president.

It’ll be a difficult endeavor for Moreno, to be sure, but just like in Jordan’s case, if there’s a man up for the job, it’ll be him.

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