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After rumblings that many people want Jim Jordan as Speaker of the House, Jordan appeared to put that to rest saying he would support Kevin McCarthy for Speaker if the GOP reclaimed control of the House.
Look:
From The Hill:
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), a founding member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, pledged Thursday to throw his support behind House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) for Speaker if the House majority flips next year.
“I think everyone understands that if we take [the House] back, Kevin is going to be the Speaker. The president’s been clear about that,” Jordan told The Hill Thursday.
When asked specifically if he planned to support McCarthy, a one-time political rival, Jordan replied: “Yeah, when you lead the team back, I think you deserve — you earned it so that’s understood by just about everyone.”
The early and ringing endorsement comes as Jordan, the ranking member of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, is looking to jump leadership roles to the top GOP spot on the House Judiciary Committee.
Jordan is not hiding his interest in the post.
“I would love that opportunity, but that’s up to the leader and the steering committee,” Jordan said.
Still, Jordan’s support marks how far McCarthy has come in converting a once vocal critic into a loyal supporter.
Jordan, who maintains strong influence in the conservative Republican group, previously ran against McCarthy for the role of minority leader after the 2018 midterms, losing the race with a 159-43 vote.
The conservative caucus, which has been a thorn in the side of GOP leader in the past, really showed its might in 2015 after the group forced then-Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to resign and blocked McCarthy from taking over his role.
But now, Jordan is indicating that the Freedom Caucus will support McCarthy.
“When you take back the majority, the person who's in charge of the team taking it back, I think that the team comes together,” Jordan said Thursday, asked if the Freedom Caucus would also support McCarthy.
“Kevin's done a good job of keeping the team together and this entire impeachment process so I think everyone appreciates him,” he added.
Republicans aren’t expected to win back the House this fall.
The GOP lost 40 seats in the 2018 midterms and would need to gain roughly 20 seats to take back the majority.
If they do, it would be a huge political victory for McCarthy that would make him a difficult candidate to defeat in a leadership election.
Not everyone supports that idea....many seem to want Jordan:
The IJR had more
If Republicans take back the House in November, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) says he will back House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in the race for House Speaker.
In an interview with The Hill on Thursday, Jordan said that “everyone understands” that McCarthy would be the clear choice for the position.
“I think everyone understands that if we take [the House] back, Kevin is going to be the Speaker. The president’s been clear about that.”
When asked if Jordan would lend his support to McCarthy, he said McCarthy would deserve it if he helps leads the Republicans back to a majority.
“Yeah, when you lead the team back, I think you deserve — you earned it, so that’s understood by just about everyone.”
Republicans lost control of the lower chamber in the 2018 mid-term elections and would need to pick up around 20 seats to reclaim the majority.
It’s not expected that Republicans would be able to reclaim control of the House. An average of polls finds that 46.9% of respondents say they would support a Democratic congressional candidate while 41.2% say the same of Republicans.
But if the House did succeed in picking up enough seats, that would be quite a feat that would bolster McCarthy’s chances of winning the speakership.
Jordan ran against McCarthy to be the minority leader after the mid-terms, and lost in a 159-43 vote. However, he said he believes Republicans, even the conservative Freedom Caucus, would rally around McCarthy if they took back the majority.
“When you take back the majority, the person who’s in charge of the team taking it back, I think that the team comes together.”
Despite once being political rivals, McCarthy and Jordan have developed a working relationship.
During the House impeachment proceedings, McCarthy temporarily named Jordan to the House Intelligence Committee to cross-examine witnesses.
Meanwhile, Jordan has praised McCarthy’s leadership and ability to hold what was once a divided Republican caucus together.
“This is the most unified House Republicans have been since I’ve been in Congress,” Jordan told Politico late last year. “Kevin played a critical role in leading this effort, and it kept the team together and made us stronger than ever.”
In an interview with Politico, McCarthy says he tried to bring the party together and mend the divisions that plagued Republicans during their time in the majority.
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