Lawler steadfast in decision not to back Jordan
Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio is still not the Speaker of the House after two failed votes, and twice one of the people who voted against him was fellow Republican Mike Lawler, the freshman congressman from District 17 in New York, which includes all of Rockland and Putnam counties, most of Northern Westchester and a portion of Dutchess.
Lawler still supports Kevin McCarthy, the California congressman who was speaker for nine months before being ousted after a push from Matt Gaetz of Florida. Lawler was one of 20 Republicans to vote against Jordan on Tuesday and one of 22 to vote against Jordan on Wednesday.
The House was expected to return Thursday for yet another speaker vote. Lawler, in comments to the media that morning, insisted that Jordan needs to negotiate further with Republicans and get to 217 votes before moving to the floor for a vote.
Results of Thursday’s speaker balloting were not available at press time.
Why is Lawler voting against Jordan and where do they differ?
Lawler has been outspoken in his support of McCarthy and his frustration with the vote to oust him. He called Gaetz’s arguments “a diatribe of delusional thinking” and vowed several times to vote for McCarthy during any future speaker vote, no matter who the candidate was.
“I believe very strongly that Kevin McCarthy is the right person to lead the house, and so I think is imperative, frankly, that this nonsense stop, that Kevin McCarthy get reinstated as speaker and that we get about the business of the American people,” Lawler told CNN on Oct. 8.
Lawler said Congress needs solid leadership now more than ever so the federal government can send aid and support to Israel in the midst of the war with Hamas.
“We’re paralyzed,” Lawler told CBS News during an Oct. 12 episode of “The Takeout.” “A constitutional crisis. What is happening in Israel, obviously, Congress is going to need to act. Which we cannot do without a speaker. We need to elect a speaker and right now, nobody has a path to 217 (votes).”
Lawler’s Congressional district has one of the highest populations of Jewish people in the U.S. and outside of Israel. He has spoken about the need for the United States to get Israeli hostages out of Gaza and to support the Israeli government and people.
Bipartisan cooperation
Lawler voted for a bipartisan measure to avert a government shutdown on Oct. 1 and has spoken about the need for compromise in a divided Congress. Lawler made waves when he spoke openly about working with Democrats to avoid the government shutdown.
Lawler represents a Democratic-leaning swing district and is maintaining a moderate profile as he prepares for what will likely be a fierce re-election fight in 2024. He beat five-term Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, head of the House Democrats’ campaign arm, to win the seat last year.
Meanwhile, Jordan has notably blocked bipartisan cooperation in Congress. He is a staunch supporter of former president Donald Trump, who has rallied many ultra-conservative members of the House and Senate behind him as deep political divisions and extreme views took center stage in the GOP.
Jordan created an investigation earlier this year as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee into Hunter Biden’s financial history as retaliation against Democrats for opening a bipartisan investigation into former president Trump’s involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Protecting American democracy
Jordan helped found the House Freedom Caucus. During the Jan 6. investigation, Jordan was one of the loudest voices against the committee. He was named as one of the primary players who tried to help Trump overturn the results of the 2020 election. The committee said Jordan did not cooperate with subpoenas from the investigation and refused to testify.
Last year, Lawler distanced himself from Trump’s call to revise some parts of the U.S. Constitution and reinstate him as president.
“I certainly don’t endorse that language or that sentiment,” Lawler said on CNN in December. He said that Americans “are tired of looking backwards” to the 2020 presidential election.
President Trump endorsed Jordan for the speakership on Truth Social days after McCarthy was ousted.
On Monday, Lawler told CNN that he was not “totally opposed” to a Jim Jordan speakership, but he maintains that McCarthy is the best person for the job.
SETH HARRISON/THE JOURNAL NEWS