The sharply divided House Republican Caucus sent a clear message on Tuesday afternoon: not even Republicans want to be governed by Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan.
Jordan’s missed-it-by-that-much candidacy for the third most powerful position in America is a sobering reminder that however principled some in the GOP might be, far-right extremists are firmly in control of the party — even if they can’t quite elect a Speaker of the House.
Jordan can thank Republicans representing districts Joe Biden won in 2020 for most of his vote-counting woes. Nebraska Rep. Don Bacon, a vocal Jordan critic, represents an area Biden won by 6 points. New York Reps. Mike Lawler and Anthony D’Esposito won areas Biden carried by 20 and 12 points, respectively. Their refusal to support Jordan amounted to an admission that Jordan’s brand of conspiracy-driven politics is poisonous to swing district voters.
In a statement on just how divided the House Republicans truly are, Jordan lost more than twice as many Republicans in his bid for Speaker (20) as Rep. Kevin McCarthy lost in the vote that ultimately ousted him (8). Jordan’s vote breakdown reveals a House Republican Caucus more divided than it was during McCarthy’s fractious 15-round elect-a-thon. GOP leaders hoped two weeks away from office would help mend the party’s festering wounds. Instead, things have only gotten worse.
On Monday, Jordan irritated some of his Freedom Caucus colleagues by assuring skeptical Republicans that he would allow votes on additional Ukrainian military aid. That’s the same Ukrainian spending that Jordan’s Freedom Caucus colleagues cited as a reason for giving McCarthy the boot. As Jordan discovered on Tuesday, the strict fundamentalism of the MAGA movement is totally incompatible with the compromises required in governing.
Signs of the party’s continued fracture were everywhere ahead of Jordan’s ill-fated vote. Earlier on Tuesday, Colorado Rep. Ken Buck had sought assurances from Jordan that the 2020 election was, in fact, legitimate. Judging by Jordan’s stony silence when asked by reporters about his bogus claims of 2020 election fraud, there is still at least one concession Jordan isn’t willing to make in his quest for power. Jordan’s intractability likely cost him as many votes as his abhorrent political views,
Jordan’s support was already in tatters before Rep. Patrick McHenry announced the official tally. Rep. Dave Joyce (Ohio), who backed Jordan on the first ballot, refused to commit to supporting him again. Ditto Rep. Vern Buchanan, who told Politico he was “looking at all the possibilities.” Republicans seemed resigned to the weary work of a multi-round Speaker election and the humiliation of once again having the party’s internal brawls spilling out onto live television.
Worse yet is the grim reality that Jordan could still win this thing. Jordan confidently called for a second vote, but the risk of mass defections made that an impossibility. House Republicans have already announced they’ll reassemble Wednesday for more votes. If Jordan can cut last-minute deals with his truculent colleagues, there’s still a better-than-fair chance we see Jordan brute force his way into leadership.
That would be a nightmare for our country. For the first time in American history, the House would be led by a Speaker who believes shutdowns are not just useful politics but an admirable way to run the government. With another government shutdown looming, the first test of a Speaker Jordan’s Freedom Caucus bona fides is rapidly approaching.
In the past, Jordan has proven more than willing to treat funding the federal government as a political weapon. During McCarthy’s ouster, Jordan claimed that a shuttering the government was preferable to seeking help from Democrats. In a worrying sign of crises to come, bettors are now wagering that Republicans will lead the nation into another government shutdown on Nov. 17.
Jordan’s unhelpfulness to the legislative process and unpopularity in critical swing districts would leave the new Speaker with plenty of free time for his true passion: appearing on right-wing television networks. But even that will lose its shine once the right’s MAGA pundits get impatient for Jordan’s promised victories. Jordan will struggle to explain why the same Freedom Caucus that now sits atop Republican politics now seems unable to deliver.
Twenty Republicans are clearly aware of the unique threat Jordan poses not only to their party’s electoral future but to the effective functioning of government itself. Those Republican lawmakers have the power to short-circuit their party’s march into MAGA chaos. They can start by working with House Democrats to support a compromise candidate who actually cares about keeping our government open.
At a time of rising global crisis, our country can’t afford to divert its attention to distractions like Jordan’s endless shutdown threats and legally questionable impeachment inquiries. On Tuesday, rational House Republicans put country over party by rejecting Jim Jordan’s destructive vision for the future of our country. Today they’ll need to summon that courage once again.
Max Burns is a veteran Democratic strategist and founder of Third Degree Strategies.