Jim Jordan Scrambles to Flip GOP Skeptics Ahead of Speaker Vote
The full-court press by Rep. Jim Jordan to strong-arm his “never Jordan” detractors into backing his bid for House speaker has been met with some raised eyebrows in recent days, but the aggressive play seems to be working, with several holdouts announcing on Monday they would throw their weight behind the Ohio Republican.
On Sunday, at least 55 House Republicans remained opposed to Jordan’s nomination—far from a majority of the caucus, but more than enough to effectively kill his hopes of winning the speakership. By Monday, however, four key lawmakers who trumpeted their opposition to Jordan last week indicated they were changing course.
Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), the chair of the Armed Services Committee, said in a statement that he planned to support Jordan after having had “two cordial, thoughtful, and productive conversations” over the weekend about Rogers’ legislative priorities, including defense spending, funding levels, and agricultural policy. Rogers told reporters last Friday that there was nothing Jordan could do to secure his vote, The Hill reported at the time.
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Also performing an about-face was Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO), who previously called Jordan a “non-starter.” On Monday, Wagner said in a statement that too much was “at stake to hand control of the House over to radical liberal Democrats, which is why we must elect a conservative as the next Speaker.”
Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) and Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL) both announced on X they would fall in line behind Jordan. Calvert said Jordan had swayed him after a conversation about national security and appropriations, while Buchanan explained “the need for Republicans to move forward united” was greater than ever.
“I feel real good about the momentum we have. It’s real close,” Jordan told reporters, according to The Wall Street Journal. “We’re going to elect a speaker tomorrow.”
However, after the Ohioan addressed his caucus in a closed-door meeting designed to bring the party to a final consensus on Monday evening, several House members apparently emerged unconvinced. With several lawmakers walking out of the room in silence, however, it remained unclear how many were still dead set against Jordan’s ascension.
Jordan will need to shore up 217 of the 221 GOP votes in a closely divided chamber during an expected vote at noon on Tuesday to win the speakership. His nomination last week came after his predecessor in the endeavor, Rep. Steven Scalise (R-LA), abandoned his own bid late Thursday when it became clear he wouldn’t be able to convince enough of his colleagues to vote for him.
The Hill and ABC News named five holdouts, which would leave Jordan a single vote short of the ayes he needs to seize the gavel: Reps. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL), Don Bacon (R-NE), Ken Buck (R-CO), Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) and Mike Lawler (R-NY).
Diaz-Balart said he had made up his mind to vote for Scalise, intimating that Jordan’s pressure campaign had cemented his opposition. “If anybody is trying to get my vote, the last thing you want to do is try to intimate or pressure me, because then I close out entirely,” he said, according to CNN.
Both Lawler and Bacon said they planned to vote for Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), with Bacon allowing for the possibility that he might change his vote in subsequent rounds, according to Punchbowl News.
Buck told reporters he was a “lean no.” He said he planned to meet with Jordan later on Monday with several questions, including whether the Ohioan believes that President Joe Biden legitimately won the 2020 election.
“I think Jim, at some point, if he’s going to lead this conference during a presidential election cycle… is going to have to be strong and say Donald Trump didn’t win the election,” Buck added.
Several other lawmakers appeared to be wavering or undecided, including Rep. Mariannette Miller Meeks (R-IA), Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR), and Rep. Steve Womack (R-AR). Other members, like Rep. Young Kim (R-CA) and Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-NJ), remained mum on the subject, refusing to answer reporters’ questions about which way they planned to vote.
Earlier in the day, an unnamed House Republican told Axios that the number of holdouts was believed to be “down to 7.”
“My bet is Jordan will pull this off,” the lawmaker added.
The vote could bring to a close a fortnight of scrambling to find someone to replace McCarthy, the previous speaker ousted by eight hardline Republican members of the House Freedom Caucus on Oct. 3. The 212 Democrats in the House have refused to bail out their colleagues across the aisle, and continue to back Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY).
Jeffries raked Jordan over the coals on the steps of the Capitol on Friday, telling reporters he was “the chairman of the chaos caucus, a defender in a dangerous way of dysfunction, and an extremist extraordinaire,” according to NBC News.
Until a speaker is picked, the House will remain paralyzed, unable to pass legislation or deal with Biden’s requests for security aid to Ukraine and Israel.
Jordan and his allies spent the weekend privately bashing the phones and publicly shaming holdout representatives. “You want to explain to your voters why you blocked Jordan?” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) tweeted on Friday. “Then bring it… because from the calls I’m getting, they are asking me what’s going on.”
Several lawmakers on Jordan’s side also posted the phone numbers of House members considered to be probable naysayers, encouraging constituents to call and browbeat them, according to The New York Times.
The strategy was received coldly by moderate and swing-district Republicans, one of whom complained to The Washington Post that “Jordan’s team has the knives out.”
“I’ll vote my conscience, which is a ‘no,’ but I don’t want to be a punching bag for the next three days,” the anonymous legislator said. “Right now, Jordan is woefully short on votes, and his team wants to beat folks into submission.”
Even some of Jordan’s most avowed backers blanched at the play. Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), while reiterating that he planned to vote for the Ohioan, told CNN on Sunday that it was the “dumbest way” to whip up support. “We need to have cool heads prevail,” he said.
In a slight recalibration, Jordan took a more diplomatic tack in a “Dear Colleague” letter sent out on Monday, making it clear he would work to “bring all Republicans together” if elected speaker. “You’ve been honest and open, and I appreciate the candid conversations,” he said.
“In these conversations, we’ve also discussed your thoughts on how we can best move forward. And we must move forward.”
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