Jordan, a ten-term congressman from Ohio and the chairman of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus, mounted a weekend-long pressure campaign to secure the speaker’s gavel as he tried to persuade fellow House Republicans to unite behind his candidacy. On Sunday, the top two Republican leaders in the House—Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Majority Whip Steve Scalise—announced their support for Jordan in a show of party unity.
The endorsement by McCarthy and Scalise, who are both considered to have wide support among the GOP conference, could be enough to propel Jordan to a victory when the House votes for speaker on Thursday. McCarthy and Scalise had both previously declined to publicly back Jordan.
Jordan’s steady ascent—which began when he resigned from the Freedom Caucus in September—has been remarkable. He has won support from Republican members of the House with a steady stream of right-leaning promises, including cracking down on government spending, implementing robust border security, and protecting religious freedom. He has also pledged to ditch the tradition of political “pay-to-play” in Washington D.C.
The endorsement from McCarthy and Scalise helps Jordan build momentum ahead of the vote. He now has the backing of more than half of the House GOP caucus and is seen as the clear frontrunner for the speakership. Jordan has also won the support of the Freedom Caucus, which has long been a thorn in the side of the Republican leadership.
If elected speaker, Jordan would become the first conservative House Republican to hold the job in a decade. It would also herald a shift in the power dynamic of Congress—with the Republican House confident in a tight grip on the legislative agenda.