Mike Johnson faces potential ouster as Jim Jordan positions for takeover

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) appears ready to make his move to take over as Speaker of the House after Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.) is expected to make his move after the GOP loses control of Congress.

NOTUS reported Monday that Republican lawmakers believe Jordan is preparing to take over and that he's raising and donating large sums of campaign cash to incumbents.

The House isn't expected to remain Republican in the November election. It is typical for the president's party to lose seats in the first midterms. However, Trump's poll numbers are so bad when it comes to the economy and starting an unpopular war in Iran that the GOP looks increasingly likely to lose control of Congress and possibly the Senate.

Jordan tried to beat Johnson when the Republicans ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in 2023, but ultimately failed to garner a majority. At over two dozen "lawmakers, congressional aides, outside advisors and lobbyists" told NOTUS that they see signs Jordan is preparing to make his move.

Jordan, a far-right extremist, has been trying to make inroads with the shrinking moderate and establishment wing of the party, the report explained.

“He’s done a really good job kind of broadening his base of support,” one moderate told NOTUS. “He’s gone out of his way to help people and build relationships.”

Jordan has spent years trying to overcome a scandal over his awareness of sexual abuse at Ohio State University when he was an assistant wrestling coach. There are at least 177 sexual abuse cases involving Dr. Richard Strauss, the New York Times reported in 2021.

When Jordan ran, he faced a lot of questions about why he couldn't win in 2023. One member asked why, after years of refusing to raise money for those he disagreed with, he would suddenly decide they were on the same side. A key piece of the job in leadership is protecting incumbents and helping raise money for their reelections.

Jordan's excuse was, “It wasn’t my job to help you then."

One ally tried to explain that Jordan was instead focused on protecting Trump from impeachment.

“Jim completely changed his tack,” one senior Republican lawmaker told NOTUS after opposing Jordan in 2023. “He knew that for any chance for him to ascend to a top leadership role, or any leadership role for that matter, he was going to have to shed the wrestler Jim and become a little bit more congenial, workable, friendly and civil.”

While he's been making inroads with moderates, he may still have to work to convince even those in his own wing of the GOP.

“Some of his angling is frustrating to some on the right,” said a Freedom Caucus member.

Jordan will likely have to face off against Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.).

When asked about it, Jordan said he was “focused on helping our team keep the majority,” and he is “not at all” looking to a leadership race if the GOP moves into the minority.

The response perfectly encapsulated why so many of his colleagues resisted; he simply wasn't a team player.

Jordan is perhaps most known for using the Judiciary Committee to try to bring down former Secretary Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential run.

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