Jim Jordan failed to become speaker last year. But his rise in the GOP may not be over yet

BOARDMAN, Ohio – For years, the sign sat in a corner of the Republican Party headquarters in Mahoning County, Ohio, gathering dust.

“Welcome the future President of the Chamber Jim Jordan“, it said.

Donald Skowron, a retired Youngstown police officer who stenciled the sign back in 2015, made sure it was on display again, decorated for the occasion, as Jordan stopped by last week for a campaign visit ahead of this year’s election. year.

Jordan did not acknowledge the sign and instead focused his brief remarks on the candidates in Ohio’s most competitive races that could determine control of the House and Senate.

But the Ohio Republican’s leadership ambitions have been clearly evident, if unspoken, as he embarks on a multi-state tour aimed at endorsing Republican House candidates.

Jordan denies running for any leadership job, telling The Associated Press in an interview in the lobby of a Marriott hotel that his goals are to help maintain Republican control and lead the House Judiciary Committee for another two years.

“I’m focused,” Jordan said when asked about running for a leadership position, then shifted gears. “We will win and Mike Johnson will be a speaker and President Trump it will be at the White House,” he said.

However, the 60-year-old spent the run-up to Election Day acting less like a powerful committee chairman and more like an “informal” member of the House Republican leadership team, according to lawmakers and GOP aides. Many see his activities as a shadow race to become GOP leader, especially if the party loses its majority and is looking for a fresh start.

Jordan appeared with candidates and candidates in Colorado, Arkansas, Missouri and Michigan. And he’s been active in his home state of Ohio, which has two of the most competitive House races in the country.

Rep. Michael Rulli, R-Ohio, who spent several days with Jordan as he criss-crossed the state from Toledo to Akron, said Jordan “works around the clock.”

“I think he’s kind of an informal member of the leadership team,” Republican candidate Kevin Coughlin, who is running in a close race for Ohio’s 13th District, told the AP. “There’s no doubt about it, he’s part of the decision-making.”

Once loathed by Republican leaders, Jordan has evolved from outside agitator to party asset. The change came amid a broader transformation in the GOP, first under the Tea Party and now in the Trump era as he seeks another term in the White House.

Coughlin, who has known Jordan since the two men both served in the Ohio Statehouse, said Jordan “figured out how to strike a balance between principle and effectiveness.”

“You know, if you’re one of those people who just wants to burn the place down when you don’t get away with it every time, you’re not going to be a very effective person,” Coughlin said. “And I think he figured it out.”

Jordan is a beloved figure in the GOP base, in part because of his pugilistic style on Capitol Hill, where he is known for battling Democrats in committee hearings.

Republicans facing tough and easy races across the country have been eager to show up with Jordan, wanting both the excitement he brings as voters line up to snap a selfie with the MAGA favorite and the rallying drive of funds it generates with conservative donors.

In the past month alone, Jordan has handed over $1.5 million to the Republican National Congressional Committee, the campaign arm for GOP races, according to recent Federal Election Commission disclosures. That brings the total he has given this cycle to $2.5 million, one of the largest sums he has contributed since he arrived in Washington in 2007.

A Republican aide said Jordan’s influx of cash came at a time of need, as the party has struggled for months to compete with Democrats’ fundraising numbers.

Certainly, Jordan’s campaign activities are dwarfed by those of Speaker Johnson, who has been criss-crossing the country for months in his role as GOP Majority Leader, raising more than $26 million for the NRCC since securing the gavel a year ago. While his leadership future is far from assured, Johnson has a powerful ally in Trump. If the Republicans win the majority, his ability to win the gavel would be significantly strengthened.

And despite his popularity among peers, Jordan’s potential campaign for a leadership role faces a major obstacle: Louisiana’s representative. Steve Scalisethe House majority leader.

Scalise is also well-liked among colleagues and has been a fundraising powerhouse for House Republicans over the years, building valuable support in any leadership race. In the past few months alone, Scalise has raised $15.2 million for the NRCC, according to financial disclosures, bringing his total raised this cycle to just over $55 million.

But Scalise made his own failed bid for speaker last year while dealing with medical treatments for blood cancer. He assured colleagues that he was up to the task despite his health challenges.

For now, Jordan is building bridges and allies in unexpected corners of the party, seeking to demonstrate that his political skill set goes beyond being a firebrand and showing loyalty to Trump.

“I learned a long time ago that winning beats losing. So we try to win. And we’re trying to help everybody,” Jordan told the AP.