Jim Jordan confirms he’s running for House speaker – CNN

CNN
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Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio on Wednesday became the first Republican to officially jump into the race to become the next House speaker.

House Republicans are even more bitterly divided in the aftermath of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s ouster and his decision not to run again – and it remains to be seen whether the conference can coalesce around a viable successor to the California Republican.

The stakes are extremely high as Congress faces down a looming shutdown deadline in mid-November and the House is essentially paralyzed while it lacks a speaker.

Republicans are slated to hear from speaker candidates at a forum next Tuesday, setting up the next possible House-wide speaker vote next Wednesday, October 11.

Jordan is on a growing list of possible McCarthy successors, which also includes Majority Leader Steve Scalise, the No. 2 House Republican, Oklahoma Rep. Kevin Hern, who chairs a conservative group known as the Republican Study Committee, and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota.

Jordan made a pitch for unity in a letter to House GOP colleagues obtained by CNN.

“Now is the time for our Republican conference to come together to keep our promises to Americans,” Jordan wrote, saying, “No matter what we do, we must do it together as a conference.”

The Ohio Republican chairs the House Judiciary Committee, an important body for pursuing Republicans’ investigative priorities – including one of three committees behind the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden.

Jordan downplayed concerns on Wednesday that he may be too conservative for some of the more moderate members of the GOP.

“I think we are a conservative-center-right party. I think I’m the guy who can help unite that. My politics are entirely consistent with where conservatives and Republicans are across the country,” Jordan told CNN’s Manu Raju.

The race for speaker abruptly got underway late Tuesday evening after McCarthy stunned Washington by announcing he would not run again after the House ousted him from the top leadership post in a historic vote that has left the House in uncharted territory.

As speaker, McCarthy presided over a narrow majority and had to confront criticism from hardline conservatives, who threw up roadblocks to the leadership agenda and protested legislation that passed with Democratic support. His ouster, led by GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, came soon after he averted a government shutdown by passing a bipartisan stopgap funding bill.

This story has been updated with additional information.