Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio’s Fourth Congressional District, has announced his candidacy to replace Kevin McCarthy as Speaker of the House. Jordan graduated from the university’s law school in 2001, and has since risen to the position of House Speaker Nominee.
Rep. Jordan was previously nominated for the position during several of the 15 speaker’s elections which were held in January of this year. At that time he had rejected calls for him to join the pool of candidates, and instead stood behind McCarthy.
Following the former Speaker McCarthy’s ousting, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Rep. Jordan announced their candidacy for the position. During a closed meeting of the GOP last week, Scalise received a majority of the votes and was expected to be the party’s choice for speaker.
This was not to be the case, as he later dropped out of the race citing an inability to coalesce the party under one speaker choice. Despite narrowly winning the vote at a count of 113-99, and receiving Rep. Jordan’s endorsement, several House GOP members stood resolute behind him.
Scalise has announced he will remain majority leader of his party, but does not intend to run again. Almost two weeks after the chair was vacated, it’s unclear whether Rep. Jordan will be able to gather the 217 votes he needs to win the Speakership on the House floor.
CBS reports the House is set to vote on the speaker candidates Oct. 17, though a date has not been set for another vote, should Jordan fail to secure the necessary votes.
Since January, Rep. Jordan has served under the prestigious title of House Judiciary Committee Chairman. The position is one of the most highly sought-after assignments in the House, and is reserved for senior members of the majority party.
The committee has a number of powers including influence over considered legislation, oversight of the executive and judicial branches and the authority to impeach federal officials. This includes the President, which has previously been a source of contention for House Republicans who opened an inquiry into President Biden last month.
Rep. Jordan, an ally of the former president Trump, was previously censured for his role in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol. He was subpoenaed by the Jan. 6 special house committee to testify about his involvement, but refused to honor it.
During his 16 years in office, Rep. Jordan has sparked a number of controversies and gained a reputation for being a rabble-rouser. It is highly unlikely he will receive any Democratic support in his election, and he can only stand to lose 4 of his fellow party members to win the election.
Rep. Jordan currently represents a district which has come under fire for accusations of gerrymandering. The fourth congressional district spans from northeast Mansfield, Ohio, all the way southwest to encompass Lima, Marysville and their surrounding areas. His district is set to change again under Ohio’s six set of districting maps which were passed in September.
Additionally, the House is under pressure to find a new Speaker with the government set to shut down on Nov. 17. If Rep. Jordan is elected on Tuesday, it would leave him only a month’s time to organize and pass a budget to avoid shut down.
