Rep. Jim Jordan from Ohio has failed in his bid to become Speaker of the House of Representatives of the US Congress. If he'd succeeded, that would have placed him second in line of succession to become President. So let's take a look at Jordan, his history as a legislator, his voting record and his doomed campaign to become Speaker of the House.
Photo credit: Gage Skidmore
Background
Jordan has a long history as a legislator. And, in fact, he has never lost an election at the polls, winning all 14 of his races to date. He became the Ohio State Representative for District 85 in 1995, a post he held for 5 years. Building on his growing reputation, Jordan then became a State Senator in 2000, holding that office until 2006.
He was elected as United States Representative for the 4th Congressional District of Ohio for the first time in 2007 and has held that office ever since. He is currently House Judiciary Chairman. Along with 8 fellow conservatives, he founded the House Freedom Caucus in 2015, described by Jordan as a "smaller, more cohesive, more agile and more active" group of conservatives.
His Legislative Record
Jordan has been a sponsor on 825 bills and resolutions since 2011 (when Bill Track 50 began tracking legislation). But, if you narrow down to the bills where he was the main sponsor then you're left with 16. They are set out in this stakeholder page. Interestingly, not a single one of them has passed and become law. Looking at the topics, there are some broad categories. Several aim to protect second amendment rights, there are some intent on reducing federal spending and taxation and a few more defending the right to free speech. HR408 - the Spending Reduction Act of 2011, sought to slash federal spending by $2.5 trillion. It never made it out of committee. In 2013, he introduced the Life at Conception Act which again died in committee. Other notable failures include the Welfare Reform Act of 2014 (which sought to, among other things, to link food stamps to a 'healthy marriage' and restrict funding for health benefits coverage that includes abortion) and The Second Amendment Enforcement Act of 2015.
His Record As A Maverick
Throughout his time in Congress, Jordan has taken an outspoken, hard-line conservative stance, which has at times put him at odds with the broader Republican conference. How does his voting record reflect this? An analysis of BillTrack50 voting data for the past five years shows that he has voted against bills supported by the majority of Republicans on 19 occasions. To break that down, he has voted no when 160 or more other Republicans have voted yes, on bills that went on to become law. These bills include the fabulously titled Great Dismal Swamp National Heritage Area Act in 2022, where he joined 35 other Republicans to vote against a study looking into the creation of a heritage site in Virginia and North Carolina. Perhaps he couldn't bring himself to vote in favour of a bill seeking to preserve a swamp rather than draining it? Swamp fans will be pleased to hear that the bill passed with broad bipartisan support. He also opposed the Shadow Wolves Enhancement Act in 2022, which seems foolhardy on the face of it - who wants to annoy wolves, particularly the shadow kind? The Shadow Wolves, it turns out, are the only Native American tracking unit in the US and help in disrupting drug trafficking groups on Native land. Another bill he couldn't countenance in 2022 was an Act to amend the White Mountain Apache Tribe's water rights, providing $350m for the construction of a rural water system. Not to mention the Desert Sage Youth Wellness Center Access Improvement Act, which authorized the acquisition of land and construction of a road to the center which serves Native American youth. And also the Agua Caliente Land Exchange Fee to Trust Confirmation Act, which takes land into trust for the Cahuilla Indian Tribe. It appears that swamps aren't the only areas where Mr Jordan feels the need to take a stand.
But what about if we look at where Jordan voted in favour of bills which his colleagues opposed? That's much more rare. There's only one bill which was opposed by 160 or more Republicans which he supported, a joint resolution in 2019 to remove US armed forces from Yemen. Only 17 Republicans voted in favor, including Jordan, and the bill went on to pass before being vetoed by President Trump. Lowering the bar to votes which were opposed by 100 or more Republicans nets another couple - both amendments to funding bills rather than actual votes of support.
So it appears Jordan is happier to support the conference in opposing legislation than passing it. But did that help him to become Speaker and take charge of the House's procedures and agenda? Not so much.
Photo by Bermix Studio on Unsplash
The Speaker Campaign
Kevin McCarthy was ousted from office shortly after the vote that averted a government shutdown, and announced that he would not run for the speakership again. The battle to succeed him began, with Majority Leader Steve Scalise (Louisiana) and Jordan as frontrunners. First up was Scalise, who spent a week trying to garner the necessary support before pulling out without a vote on the floor. So the baton passed to Jim Jordan to try to get enough Republican votes to give him a majority in the House.
The first vote
The first vote took place on Monday 16 October and didn't go all that well for Jordan. 20 Republicans voted for other candidates instead of him, leaving him on 200 votes. All Democrats voted for the Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries giving him 212. The Republicans who didn't vote for Jordan were:
Diaz-Balart, Gonzales, Granger, Mike Kelly, Rutherford, Simpson, Womack, Bacon, Chavez-DeRemer, Gimenez, Kiggans, LaMalfa, Lawler, D'Esposito, Garbarino, LaLota, Ellzey, Buck, James and Spartz. Gus Bilirakis did not vote.
Try again
After another frantic round of lobbying, Jordan took it to the floor yet again on Wednesday 18th. This time he fared even worse, garnering only 199 votes to Jeffries' 212. 22 Republicans voted for other candidates while the Democrats remained united in voting for Jeffries. The Republicans who didn't vote for Jordan this time were:
Diaz-Balart, Gonzales T., Granger, Kelly (PA), Rutherford, Simpson, Womack, Bacon, Chavez-Ramer, Gimenez, Kiggans (VA), Lawler, D'Esposito, Garbarino, LaLota, Ellzey, Buck, and James. With the additions of: Buchanan, Ferguson, Miller-Meeks, and Stauber. LaMalfa and Spartz both switched their votes to Jordan this time.
Third time's the charm?
Bullish as ever, Jordan tried again on Friday 20th. Had all the lobbying and persuasion and pleading paid off? Nope. This time there were 25 Republicans voting for other candidates, so somehow along the way he managed to lose another three, attracting only 194 votes. They were: Fitzpatrick, Kean and Molinaro. Two Republicans declined to vote this time (Hunt and Van Orden) and two Democrats (Gonzalez and Payne). Fun fact: Jordan just tied the record for the fewest number of votes for a majority nominee. The last person to get 194 votes as majority nominee was Frederick Gillett in 1923 on his second ballot.
So not looking good for Jordan. And in fact, he acknowledged defeat on Friday October 20 leaving the Republicans hunting for yet another candidate.
Whatever happens next, it will be an interesting ride for those of us who follow these things. Or, for others, they may feel like Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) who when asked whether he would vote to save McCarthy replied: 'Not my monkey; not my circus."
So what happens next? Read our exciting new instalment on the next crop of legislators battling to become Speaker.
Cover image: Credit Gage Skidmore
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