Jordan flips key holdout Mike Rogers to support him

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) announced Monday that he will support GOP Speaker nominee Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) on the House floor, a major win for Jordan after Rogers had signaled intense opposition to his Speakership last week.

“@Jim_Jordan and I have had two cordial, thoughtful, and productive conversations over the past two days. We agreed on the need for Congress to pass a strong NDAA, appropriations to fund our government’s vital functions, and other important legislation like the Farm Bill,” Rogers said Monday on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“As a result, I have decided to support Jim Jordan for Speaker of the House on the floor,” he continued. “Since I was first elected to the House, I have always been a team player and supported what the majority of the Republican Conference agrees to. Together, our Republican majority will be stronger to fight Joe Biden’s reckless agenda for America.”

Rogers had told reporters ahead of the House GOP’s nominating election Friday that there was nothing that Jordan could do to win his support, and that he would instead vote for ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).

The previous day, before House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) withdrew his name as the conference nominee for Speaker over several holdouts refusing to support him, Rogers had told Bloomberg News that Republicans might have to cut a deal with Democrats in order to fill the Speakership.

Rogers’ announcement preceded at least two other major pickups for Jordan.

Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.), a member of the Appropriations Committee, wrote on X that “Keeping America safe is my top priority in Congress. After having a conversation with Jim Jordan about how we must get the House back on a path to achieve our national security and appropriations goals, I will be supporting him for Speaker on the floor.”

And Rep. Ann Wagner (R-Mo.), who had told other news outlets last week that she would not support Jordan, on Monday wrote in a statement that she had flipped her position, saying “I am not, and will not, work with Democrats as our Republican Conference comes together to elect a conservative Speaker of the House.”

“Jim Jordan and I spoke at length again this morning, and he has allayed my concerns about keeping the government open with conservative funding, the need for strong border security, our need for consistent international support in times of war and unrest, as well as the need for stronger protections against the scourge of human trafficking and child exploitation,” she added.

Allies of Jordan had waged a public pressure campaign on Rogers through the weekend in an attempt to get him to flip to support Jordan, who is the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee.

“@RepMikeRogersAL ruby red district in Alabama is right next to mine. His voters will not be happy if he makes a deal with Democrats to elect a Speaker in order to block Jim Jordan,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) posted on X.

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) had also posted that Rogers’s opposition to Jordan and openness to working with Democrats was “outrageous.”

The change for Rogers is good news for Jordan, who can only afford to lose four House GOP votes on the floor to win the gavel, assuming all members are present and voting — but who does not have the votes locked up yet.

Jordan clinched the nomination for Speaker in a 124-81 vote Friday. But when the conference was asked if they would support Jordan’s nomination on the floor, the vote was 152-55 — leaving Jordan well short of the 217 votes needed to win the Speakership on the House floor.

Jordan thanked Rogers for his support.

“Thank you, Chairman Rogers. Your leadership is just what our Conference needs right now. We must all keep coming together and get back to work,” Jordan said on X.

Updated at 12 p.m.