Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) has emerged as one of the leading contenders to be House Speaker following the historic ouster of Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) from the role — a hardline firebrand who delights in shouting down witnesses in Congress, has led a crusade against law enforcement investigating former President Donald Trump, and has been accused of involvement in the plot to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
But incredibly, argued political commentator Molly Jong-Fast for Vanity Fair on Tuesday, Speaker Jim Jordan could actually be the best outcome for House Democrats — or at least, the least-bad outcome.
Jordan has a number of obstacles to overcome if he wants the necessary 218 votes for the gavel, wrote Jong-Fast, including a dueling bid by House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), and some members, like Rep. John Duarte (R-CA), who are committed to getting McCarthy re-installed — despite the fact that he's not even running to get his position back.
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"Jordan would need the 18 vulnerable blue-state representatives to vote for him. That is, members like Mike Lawler, who represents New York’s 17th, a D-plus-three congressional district that he won by less than 2,000 votes," wrote Jong-Fast. "And they might not be so inclined to support Jordan considering his distinguished past of election denial, or his involvement in controversies like the Ohio State University sexual abuse scandal. Putting Jordan in the job could cross the Rubicon way past the point where the GOP could even pretend to be genteel."
And that could ultimately benefit Democrats, she continued, by eliminating voters excuse to see any element of the GOP as reasonable or moderate.
"For Democrats, it might actually be better politically to have a Speaker who is unapologetically MAGA, presenting a clear contrast," concluded Jong-Fast. "Of course, a Jim Jordan Speakership would be a nightmare for democracy, for political discourse, for many of the values that I hold dear. But Jordan winning 217 votes would make clear that there are zero moderates left in the Republican caucus, that literally every member of the house is a right-wing zealot. Things are, in other words, looking pretty bleak."
