Whether or not the Republican Party remains in control of the House after the midterms, a battle for the chamber’s leadership is already shaping up.
According to a report from CNN, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) is quietly laying the groundwork to run for House GOP leader if Republicans lose the chamber in November, setting up a potential "clash" with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA).
CNN reported that half a dozen lawmakers and aides believe Jordan, the House Judiciary chair, is preparing a bid. Publicly, Jordan says he is solely focused on helping Republicans keep the majority and supporting Johnson as speaker, and his allies insist he is a team player who isn’t trying to undercut him.
According to the report, "In a private conversation with one Republican lawmaker, Jordan said he would have kept lawmakers in Washington longer to hold more votes that would be politically challenging for Democrats. He also expressed interest in holding more votes on President Donald Trump’s elections overhaul bill that has been blocked in the Republican-led Senate, arguing that would help House Republicans on the campaign trail even if the bill won’t be signed into law."
“Jim has a different vision on how he would have gone about this,” the source told CNN.
“He clearly wants to be minority leader,” a senior GOP aide also told CNN. “He is fully running. He is calling candidates.”
Johnson has said he will stay on as GOP leader whether Republicans win or lose the House. “I would expect my colleagues would call upon me to continue to lead the conference in divided government,” he said, according to CNN.
Jordan allies have argued to some in Trump’s orbit that he is "uniquely positioned" to defend the president against Democratic investigations, pointing to his experience leading Judiciary and defending Trump during both impeachments, two sources told CNN.
CNN also reported that through September Jordan donated $1.97 million directly to candidates and $2.65 million to the party’s House campaign arm, according to a source familiar with the matter. He has traveled to 33 states this cycle and this week launched a 19-day campaign swing from Washington to Florida.
Jordan ran for speaker in 2023 after Kevin McCarthy’s ouster but faced opposition from moderate Republicans who felt he was too much of a conservative firebrand, CNN reported. Since then, it said, he has worked to "mend relationships," including with lawmakers who said "Jordan’s allies threatened them physically or verbally," by campaigning in their districts and donating to their campaigns.