House Freedom Caucus co-founder Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) announced Wednesday that he will challenge Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) for House Minority Leader in the next congressional term.
The conservative Rep. Jordan stepped forward hours after Democrats gained control of the House of Representatives during the 2018 midterms.
“I plan to run for minority leader,” Jordan told the Hill.
“In 2016, the American people elected Republicans to come here and change this town,” Jordan continued. “I think the president is doing just that, but I don’t think they see the same intensity from folks in Congress, folks in the House of Representatives.”
The Ohio conservative suggested that Republicans have yet to complete their agenda, which includes repealing Obamacare and reforming welfare.
“Have we replaced Obamacare yet? Have we secured the border yet? Have we reformed welfare yet? No,” Rep. Jordan said.
Congressman Jordan also challenged the current Republican leadership’s tactics, noting that they did not engage with House Democrats.
Jordan said, “Now that we’re in the minority, that’s about all what we can do is debate, but fight hard in the debate for the principles, for the things that we know the American people sent us here to do in 2016. Show them that we deserve to be back in power in 2020.”
Jordan, who represents Ohio’s fourth congressional district, beat Democrat challenger Janet Garrett on Tuesday night.
In July, Jordan announced his bid to become the Speaker of the House, suggesting that under his leadership Republicans can enact more of President Donald Trump’s America First agenda.
Jordan, along with the entire House Freedom Caucus, has served of some of President Trump’s staunchest allies in Congress. House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows (R-NC), Rep. Jordan, and then-Tuesday Group co-chairman Rep. Tom MacArthur helped revive Obamacare repeal to ultimately pass the bill through the House last year.
Jordan has led the charge to help pass a border security bill that would build a wall on America’s southern border, enact pro-American immigration reform, and close the diversity lottery.
In July, Reps. Meadows and Jordan launched articles of impeachment against Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, contending that Rosenstein has failed to comply with congressional subpoenas, abused the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) process, and withheld “embarrassing documents” from Congress.
Trump called Jordan a “warrior for me” during a meeting in July; Politico referred to both Jordan and Meadows as Trump’s “pit bulls on Capitol Hill.”