Washington — Former House Speaker John Boehner once described Rep. Jim Jordan, the next House Republican leader, as a political “terrorist.”
“I just never saw a guy who spent more time tearing things apart, never building anything, never putting anything together,” the former GOP leader told CBS News in 2021.
On Tuesday, House Republicans selected Jordan to lead the party in the next Congress, a significant shakeup in the party’s leadership that signaled they’re ready for a fight after losing more than 40 seats in the midterm elections.
Jordan — who was a founding member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, which routinely makes legislating difficult for GOP leaders — built his reputation confronting Democrats in combative hearings as the top Republican on the powerful House Judiciary Committee. There, the Ohio Republican defended President Trump against the first impeachment inquiry, which centered on the president’s conduct toward Ukraine.
“Jim’s a fighter,” said GOP Rep. Nicole Malliotakis of New York, who sees Jordan, a former college wrestling coach, as someone who can unite the various factions in the party. “I think a lot of the reasons why we couldn’t get more done this Congress was because we could not unite the team. I think Jim Jordan is somebody who everybody respects and can bring everyone together.”
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GOP Rep. Ralph Norman of South Carolina, who is retiring after losing a Senate primary, said Jordan represents “the side of the party that’s willing to fight.”
Norman suggested that the conference chose Jordan over current Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana for the role because he “represented more of what they wanted to see as a minority leader.”
“There’s nobody that can debate any better. There’s nobody that can fight any more,” Norman said.
Republican Rep. Andy Harris of Maryland, the chair of the House Freedom Caucus, called Jordan a “superb communicator” who can go up against Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, who is expected to become House speaker in January.
“I want to see the first time they go head to head,” Harris said. “Jim Jordan will hold his own in that.”
GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson, who represents Louisiana, said Jordan was a mentor to him when he was first elected to Congress a decade ago. The two also served on the Judiciary Committee together, before Johnson unexpectedly became speaker in 2023 after Kevin McCarthy’s historic ouster.
After McCarthy was removed, Republicans struggled to coalesce behind a replacement for nearly a month, bringing the House to a standstill. Jordan was one of the candidates who failed to secure enough support, though he ran three times in the elections to replace McCarthy before giving up.
It wasn’t the first time Jordan sought the House’s top leadership position. He also failed in his 2018 bid to be speaker after Paul Ryan’s retirement. And he then ran unsuccessfully for minority leader after Democrats took back the majority.
“He’s always been regarded as a leader by the conference, and he’s going to do an extraordinary job,” Johnson said Tuesday after the leadership elections.
Jordan may be viewed by his Republican colleagues as a leader, but his record as a legislator is thin: He has never been a primary sponsor of legislation that passed in the House.
Then again, for this Republican minority, passing bills may not be the point. No measure that has only GOP support will get through the House, particularly not when Democrats are approaching a nearly 90-seat margin. Johnson thinks Jordan will have an easier time leading Republicans in the minority than he did as speaker. With his less enviable five-seat majority, Johnson has constantly had to navigate GOP infighting and Mr. Trump’s shifting demands to get anything through the House.
“It is easier to keep a group together when you’re in the minority,” Johnson said.
Beyond resisting Democrats’ investigations and legislation, it remains to be seen what Jordan will be fighting for. Significant bipartisan legislation is not likely to be on his agenda. But Jordan is sure to have a strong ally in the White House with the rise of likeminded hardliner Stephen Miller as Mr. Trump’s new White House chief of staff.
Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, who has served with Jordan on the Judiciary Committee, called Jordan “a guy of real talent and real gifts.”
“I wish that he would use them in defense of the public interest and not in defense of Donald Trump,” he said Wednesday.
Jeffries, when asked Tuesday whether he could work with Jordan in the next Congress, told reporters, “That remains to be seen.” He added, “He’s going to have to chart out where he moves forward.”
