Rep. Warren Davidson backs Rep. Jim Jordan for speaker
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Troy, will support his fellow Ohio congressman, Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Urbana, to be the next U.S. speaker of the House.
“Trump changed the status quo in Washington, D.C., and we need someone to change the status quo in Congress,” Davidson said.
Davidson’s support of Jordan is no surprise as Jordan in January 2016 endorsed Davidson in the 15-person 8th Congressional District race to replace former House speaker John Boehner in Congress.
Jordan, 54, would be the fourth Ohioan to be speaker — Joseph Keifer (1881-83); Nicholas Longworth (192531); and John Boehner (201115) were previously — if he is elected by members of the U.S. House in 2019.
Jordan announced last week to this news outlet his intentions to run for the speakership, succeeding Speaker Paul Ryan, who will not seek re-election to the U.S. House.
“It ends the speculation,” said Davidson, who is one of about 30 members of the House Freedom Caucus, which was founded by Jordan.
Davidson said he hopes the race is “about ideas and who wants to do what,” rather than political jockeying to be in power. He believes the three presumptive front-runners for the job would do that by “talking about the ideas that (have) helped make this country better off now than two years ago.”
While Davidson is supporting Jordan to be the next speaker, he said Jordan’s expected primary opponent for the job, Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., is supported by Speaker Ryan.
Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., is also a possible contender. Davidson said while his support is firmly behind Jordan, McCarthy and Scalise have “been good to me.”
In May, more than 100 tea party leaders urged Jordan to run for House speaker.
Before Jordan decided to seek the speakership, several former wrestlers at The Ohio State University, accused him of failing to report sexual misconduct when he was an assistant wrestling coach at the school. Jordan has denied the allegations he knew anything about the alleged sexual misconduct, and calling the claims “bogus” and politically motivated.