Conservatives Campaign to Draft Jim Jordan for Speaker

Conservative lawmakers and leaders have started a campaign to draft former House Freedom Caucus chairman Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) for Speaker of the House.

Forty prominent conservative leaders sent a letter to Congressman Jordan on Friday, urging Jordan to replace Paul Ryan (R-WI) as the next Speaker of the House.

In the letter, the conservative leaders argued that the current House leadership has “utterly failed” and “proven that it’s part of the Swamp.” The conservatives believe that Jordan is the solution to the current House leadership.

Tea Party Patriots President Jenny Beth Martin and Richard Viguerie of ConservativeHQ.com signed onto the letter.

Jenny Beth Martin told Axios, “Our supporters want to see Jim Jordan be the Speaker, and they’ve wanted that for several years. We’ve also called for Paul Ryan to step down as Speaker prior to him announcing he would not run for reelection.”

Speaker Paul Ryan announced in April that he will not seek reelection. However, he added that he will stay on as the leader of the House until after the midterm elections. Reports suggest that many lawmakers question the strategy of staying on as a lame duck Speaker going into the November election.

Ryan endorsed House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to become the next Speaker, although many lawmakers wish to see Jordan take the top House leadership position.

One Republican Study Committee (RSC) lawmaker told the Hill, “That might be the perfect job for Jim Jordan because of his fighting attitude and his fighting spirit; he doesn’t back down.”

Any Roth, vice president of government affairs at the Club for Growth, said, “Jim Jordan is a proven conservative. One of his fundamental tenets for governing is that you should do what you promised voters you would do. His candidacy to lead the House GOP is refreshing and much needed.”

When asked about the conservative letter urging him to run for Speaker, Jordan said, “The American people want results, and I’m committed to bringing that change. It’s as simple as this — doing what we told the voters we would do.”