CANTON, Ohio — Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) may be the only one who doesn’t see his ambition.
Members of the House Republican Conference — from the leadership down to the most junior of rank-and-file lawmakers — are obsessed with Jordan’s every move. Each city he goes through and every dollar he gives to his fellow Republicans sets off a fresh round of questions.
What is Jordan doing, what does he want and will he run for House minority leader if Republicans come up short in three weeks?
This angst is especially acute among allies of Speaker Mike Johnson and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, both of whom could lead the GOP in the minority.
Take a look at the evidence:
– Jordan has dramatically stepped up his giving to the NRCC, sending $2.5 million to the committee this cycle.
– Jordan’s leadership PAC, Buckeye Liberty PAC, raised nearly five times as much this election cycle as last. And it spent 10 times as much money as it did in 2022.
– Jordan is showing up in districts to campaign for GOP incumbents and candidates even when he’s not asked to be there. Several lawmakers told us Jordan offered to campaign for them without an explicit request for a visit.
Let’s start with this: Jordan is very eager to talk about what he’ll do if Republicans keep the majority — run the Judiciary Committee, where he has a massive staff and wields tremendous influence.
But when we asked — repeatedly — whether he’d run for the minority leader position if Republicans lose the House, Jordan dodged. This response is sure to torture Johnson and Scalise’s orbit.
Here’s Jordan:
If Republicans win the trifecta. Jordan is the most powerful non-elected leader in the House. During a Wednesday night event, GOP challenger Kevin Coughlin, who is running against Rep. Emilia Sykes (D-Ohio), called Jordan a “de facto member of the leadership team in the House.”
That was true when Kevin McCarthy was speaker, but it is less true now. Jordan tried twice on the floor to become speaker only to be denied the gavel by moderates and Scalise allies.
Jordan remains wildly popular with hardline conservatives; that’s his soft power. His hard power comes by dint of chairing the Judiciary Committee and the related weaponization subcommittee. He has legions of staffers, unilateral subpoena power, a big fundraising operation and is a constant presence on Fox News.
But if Republicans take the White House, Jordan’s power will grow exponentially. He’s very close to former President Donald Trump, who he talks to all the time. Jordan has no doubt that Trump will win.
That’s why it’s important to pay attention to Jordan’s legislative priorities. The Ohio Republican said he has three basic priorities: changes to immigration policy, extending the 2017 Trump tax cuts and passing energy legislation.
Jordan said he wants a full pause on all immigration — including legal immigration — at the beginning of a second Trump administration.
“A little pause would make sense, get it fixed,” Jordan said. “Of course, we’re for legal immigration. … But right now, maybe we need to just pause that.”
Jordan wants to extend the 2017 tax cuts immediately. Notably, Jordan said he’s open to a compromise on the state-and-local tax deduction.
At times, Jordan was frustrated with how House Republican leaders — especially former Speaker Paul Ryan — handled Trump during his presidency. But now, Jordan believes Trump has a better idea how to navigate government.
“I think he’s coming in with the attitude: Fire everyone you’re allowed to fire,” Jordan said. “Fire some people you’re not allowed to fire. Make them sue you, just to prove a point. And we’re going to get things done for the American people.”
Will he do it? It’s tough to find a person these days who doesn’t think that Jordan is angling for something bigger than the Judiciary Committee.
Sources in the House Republican Conference say they think Johnson will run for minority leader if Republicans lose their majority. Could Jordan beat him? Many in the GOP leadership orbit think it would be a real race.
Jordan simply won’t entertain questions about this issue right now. But during his address to the Stark County Republican Party, Jordan said this:
We’ll have much more from Jordan, including how he sees his legislative priorities on Judiciary in the Midday edition.
