Rep. John Curtis supports Jim Jordan as speaker, says he will avoid government shutdown
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Two weeks of Republican gridlock in the U.S. House of Representatives may soon come to an end with House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, facing a floor vote to become speaker on Tuesday.
Jordan, a founder of the House Freedom Caucus and a firm ally of former President Donald Trump, took steps on Monday toward securing the 217 votes he needs to become speaker after scoring several endorsements from key holdouts. House Republicans are still deeply divided over the dramatic ouster of former speaker Kevin McCarthy and last week’s failed speaker bid by House Majority Leader Steve Scalise.
Utah Republican Rep. John Curtis said he is simultaneously frustrated the same group of lawmakers who paralyzed the House are now calling for unity around Jordan, while he is also hopeful Jordan will secure the position so lawmakers can get back to work after two weeks of lost time.
Curtis was among the majority of Republicans who objected to McCarthy’s removal, and also backed Scalise.
“If Jordan can get it, great, we need to get going. But I think we’re all frustrated in this whole process,” Curtis told the Deseret News.
Curtis said he will vote for Jordan if a floor vote is held Tuesday as scheduled, citing the freedom caucus founder’s conservative approach to budget issues and the need to make progress on spending bills ahead of next month’s fiscal deadline.
However, Jordan has proven to be a polarizing figure even among fellow conservatives. The Ohio congressman is known to play political hardball, assuming a key role in the government shutdowns of 2013 over Obamacare and 2018 over a border wall.
In recent years, Jordan has aligned himself with party leadership, trading an endorsement of McCarthy for high profile positions on the judiciary and weaponization of government oversight committees, where he has spearheaded an investigation into President Joe Biden’s business dealings.
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Curtis said over the course of his nine-term tenure Jordan has “moderated pretty considerably” on his tactics, if not his policy goals, and that “people need to judge him more on who he’s become rather than where he came from.”
Jordan is someone Curtis thinks can secure conservative wins without further damaging the party’s image among voters as Israel and Ukraine continue to urgently request military and humanitarian aid and must-pass budget legislation awaits Congressional action with a shutdown looming if no spending agreements are reached.
“(Jordan) does not want to shut down and yet he wants to be more fiscally conservative, and both of those things align with my feelings, that we’ve got to get there without a shutdown,” Curtis said. “So, I’m interested to see, first of all, if he can secure the votes, and if he can secure the votes, how he leads us through this.”
Will the votes materialize for Jordan?
Jordan won the GOP nomination for the lower chamber’s top position on Friday in a secret ballot competition against a last-minute challenger, 124-81. Jordan renewed his campaign for speaker after the previous nominee, Scalise, R-La., withdrew from the race Thursday, citing the refusal of Jordan’s supporters to back him.
In an unusual move, Jordan’s win was followed by a “validation” vote to gauge his chances of winning the speakership in a floor vote. While he increased his tally of supporters by 24, receiving 152 “yes” votes and 55 “no” votes, Jordan’s potential speakership was still far from certain as lawmakers went home for the weekend.
But, despite the worries of some lawmakers that no candidate could unite 217 members of the fractious House GOP, opposition to Jordan appeared to crumble on Monday as some of the most vocal holdouts changed their tune in support of Jordan.
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Throughout Monday, endorsements rolled in from some of Scalise’s top allies, including Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Mo. — who previously said she would “absolutely not” support Jordan — and Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., — who just 24 hours earlier had vowed to never support Jordan, along with other members of the the House Armed Services Committee and the Appropriations Committee.
However, as of Monday, there still remained a number of Republican lawmakers — less than 10, according to CNN’s Manu Raju — who remained committed to finding an alternative to Jordan. And with the Republican conference sitting at 221 members, just four more than a 217-vote majority, Jordan will have to sway nearly every one of his colleagues.
Some of the holdouts include swing state representatives like Don Bacon of Nebraska who has floated the idea of offering concessions to Democrats in exchange for their support in electing a moderate Republican speaker.
Sen. Mike Lee urges House Republicans to back Jordan
Utah Republican Sen. Mike Lee took to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, multiple times over the weekend and on Monday to cheer on Jordan and criticize lawmakers who were unwilling to fall in line.
“It’s outrageous that Jim Jordan has been nominated by the party, has the support of McCarthy and (Speaker Pro Tem Patrick) McHenry, and yet ... a few House Republicans would rather work with Democrats,” Lee said Saturday. “If you’re a House Republican, please vote for Jim Jordan — not Hakeem Jeffries.”
In a statement given to the Deseret News, Lee outlined why he thought Jordan is prepared to lead the GOP conference.
“Jim Jordan is a hardworking legislator, a pragmatic leader, and a stalwart conservative. He is also a good friend with whom I’ve tackled countless policy issues over the last twelve years,” Lee said. “He already has the support of a majority of the House GOP conference, including former Speaker McCarthy, and I look forward to working with him to serve American families, defend the Constitution, and protect our great country.”
In an effort to persuade the remaining holdouts, Jordan held one-on-one meetings with conference members on Monday, according to Jake Sherman of Punchbowl News.
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At least one GOP member, Rep. Carlos Gimenez of Florida, has said he will vote for McCarthy in Tuesday’s floor vote.
If he is unable to reach 217 votes, Jordan has signaled a willingness to call for multiple rounds of voting, similar to the speaker’s race in January which took 15 rounds to clear up.
Jordan sent his colleagues a letter Monday saying “the principles that unite us as Republicans are far greater than the disagreements that divide us.”
“The country and our conference cannot afford us attacking each other right now,” the letter says. “It is time we unite to get back to work on behalf of the American people.”
However, even as D.C. insiders predict Jordan will come away with the speakership Tuesday, serious concerns remain among Republicans about Jordan’s opposition to Ukraine aid, his close ties to Trump and whether he can fill McCarthy’s shoes as a negotiator and fundraiser.
