Kinzinger says vote against Jordan ‘almost’ as big as Jan. 6 votes

Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) said during a Tuesday television appearance that the vote against Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), the Republican nominee for Speaker, was nearly as consequential as standing up against the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6.

“This is almost as big in my mind of a moment as standing up against Jan. 6 was for these members,” Kinzinger said in an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash, before the first round of votes for Speaker. 

“As somebody [who has] faced this — and I had to make a decision to basically end my career to do the right thing — it’s well worth it,” Kinzinger said in the interview. “Everybody goes into Congress saying, ‘I’m going to go in and do the right thing. I am going to stand alone if I need to,’ and then, all of a sudden, that fear of a primary is enough to frighten them away.” 

Kinzinger predicted that Jordan would not reach the threshold to be elected Speaker on the first round of voting, but he strongly urged Republicans not to relent to the pressure to eventually support Jordan’s candidacy.

“Look, it only takes four or five Republican members of the House of Representatives to be heroes, and literally change the future of this country and this world. When you look at Ukraine and you look at Israel, he would be terrible on both,” Kinzinger said, before adding, “I think there are enough to deny Jordan on the first round. My personal hope is they stick it out.”

Kinzinger railed against Jordan, stressing his key role in former President Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election and calling the Trump ally the worst pick for House Speaker, except for “maybe … like Matt Gaetz.”

“Jim Jordan has been one of the absolute worst members of the House of Representatives, simply from just the governing perspective. I think he’s passed almost nothing, if anything at all,” Kinzinger said. 

The former Illinois lawmaker also told Bash that Jordan truly believes Democrats are evil and must be defeated at all costs.

“He doesn’t say that metaphorically. He truly believes that you have to defeat the Democrats or the liberals by any means necessary, and they’re close to giving him the Speaker’s gavel,” Kinzinger said.