Reps. Andy Biggs, Eli Crane willing to accept GOP punishment if Jim Jordan elected speaker

Laura Gersony, Arizona Republic
Updated ·2 min read
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Seven House Republicans, including Reps. Andy Biggs and Eli Crane, said Friday they would willingly accept censure or removal from the Republican caucus if the GOP comes together to elect Rep. Jim Jordan as the new House speaker.

In a letter, Biggs, Crane and other Republicans who earlier this month sided with House Democrats to oust Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., from the speaker's chair acknowledged that some of their fellow Republicans want to punish them.

"The actions we took were never about us — they were to change Washington for the better," the GOP group wrote.

Because the House now needs a speaker, they called on the Republican holdouts to agree to vote for Jordan, R-Ohio, for speaker. So far, Jordan has failed to win the speaker's gavel after three rounds of voting.

" ... We are prepared to accept censure, suspension or removal from the Conference to accomplish this objective," the Republicans wrote.

Crane, R-Ariz., posted the letter on the social-media platform X.

"This is about putting #AmericaFirst," Crane wrote in his post.

Jordan, the right-wing firebrand who former President Donald Trump endorsed for the speakership, has now tried and failed to win the House's top job three times. He garnered fewer votes with each successive attempt.

Following the third failed attempt on Friday morning, the Republican caucus reportedly voted to drop Jordan as the party's nominee.

Some Republicans lawmakers have publicly expressed their support for removing Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who led the charge to oust McCarthy, from the House's Republican conference. Gaetz also signed the letter.

Besides Crane, Gaetz, and Biggs, R-Ariz., Reps. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., Bob Good, R-Va., Nancy Mace, R-S.C., and Matt Rosendale, R-Mont., also signed the letter. Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., voted to oust McCarthy but did not sign the letter.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Biggs, Crane OK with GOP punishment if Jordan elected House speaker