Jim Jordan becomes first to announce run for speaker

Rep. Jim Jordan said he will run to be the next speaker, a move likely to prompt praise from House conservatives.

But his candidacy will likely run right into Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), who is also considering a speakership bid and has worked to court conservatives.

“I think I can unite the conservative base, and the party and the conference. That’s why I’m running,” Jordan told reporters Wednesday morning.

In a letter to his Republican colleagues Wednesday morning, the House Judiciary Chair and Freedom Caucus member formally requested their support for the speaker’s gavel.

“We are at a critical crossroad in our nation’s history. Now is the time for our Republican conference to come together to keep our promises to Americans. The problems we face are challenging, but they are not insurmountable. We can focus on the changes that improve the country and unite us in offering real solutions. But no matter what we do, we must do it together as a conference,” he wrote.

He did not mention McCarthy in the letter.

Jordan has worked closely with Oversight Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) on the impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden. He had also become a close ally of now-ex Speaker Kevin McCarthy in recent years.

“Jim is a friend, and I certainly think he brings a whole lot that this conference would be able to rally around, but we’ve got to all have a conversation and I’m not going to say who I’m supporting at this point,” said Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas), a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus.

“We’re going to figure this out behind closed doors as a family,” he added.

The Ohio Republican was elected to Congress in 2007. He is a Trump ally within the GOP conference and one of the many chairs to have called for Congress to defund the Department of Justice over whistleblower claims that DOJ hampered the Hunter Biden investigation.

Nicholas Wu contributed to this report.