With US House leaderless, Jim Jordan to run for top post

Jordan, a combative conservative who has led investigations of the Biden administration, is the first to publicly say he is interested in the job. In a letter to fellow Republicans, he wrote of his leading role in a bill that would dramatically tighten immigration, calling it "the most significant legislation this Congress." That bill has passed the House but gotten nowhere in the Democratic-controlled Senate.

Representative Jim Jordan, a leading antagonist of Democratic President Joe Biden, became the first Republican on Wednesday to launch a run for Speaker of the House of Representatives to succeed the ousted Kevin McCarthy. Jordan will likely contend with Steve Scalise, the chamber's No. 2 Republican, and several other candidates in what could be a lengthy and likely messy battle to fill the post in the House where Republicans hold a majority.

Republican lawmakers emerging from a private party meeting mainly named Scalise and Jordan as leading candidates. Tuesday's historic removal of McCarthy, driven by a rebellious faction of Republicans, marked the first time the chamber has removed its leader from a position that is second in line to the president after the vice president.

Republicans have set an Oct. 11 vote to choose a successor and are due to meet the day before to hear from their candidates. Jordan, a combative conservative who has led investigations of the Biden administration, is the first to publicly say he is interested in the job.

In a letter to fellow Republicans, he wrote of his leading role in a bill that would dramatically tighten immigration, calling it "the most significant legislation this Congress." That bill has passed the House but gotten nowhere in the Democratic-controlled Senate. "We can focus on the changes that improve the country and unite us in offering real solutions. But no matter what we do, we must do it together as a conference," he wrote.

A former college wrestler from Ohio known for eschewing suit jackets for shirt sleeves and ties during hearings and press conferences, Jordan, 59, first gained prominence as a leader of the party's right wing before eventually forming an alliance with McCarthy. He is a prominent supporter of former President Donald Trump. As chair of the Judiciary Committee, he is involved in the impeachment investigation into Biden and has tangled with state prosecutors who have filed criminal cases against Trump.

Other possible candidates include Scalise, who has been getting treatment for cancer, and Representative Kevin Hern, who leads a policy group for conservative lawmakers. Representative Patrick McHenry is temporarily serving as speaker following McCarthy's removal.

SCALISE 'LISTENING,' HERN THINKING ABOUT IT Scalise has yet to announce his candidacy, even as he has been meeting with Republican lawmakers to drum up support. "I've been just listening to a lot of members and have had a lot of really good conversations," he told reporters.

Hern, who described himself as "conservative but not mad about it," said he was considering a speakership bid. "I think we need to be pointing our guns outward, not at each other," he told reporters. The leadership fight is eating into the time lawmakers have to extend government spending before it expires on Nov. 18 and update farm-subsidy and nutrition programs, among other tasks.

It also could complicate the party's impeachment inquiry into Biden and efforts to secure additional aid to Ukraine. The speaker's job has proven challenging for Republicans in recent years. The last Republican speaker, Paul Ryan, retired from Congress after struggling to work with then-President Trump, a fellow Republican. His predecessor John Boehner left after clashes with the party's right wing.

McCarthy, who led a narrow 221-212 majority, made the job even more difficult for himself. During 15 grueling rounds of voting on his bid for the speakership in January, he agreed to change House rules to allow any one member of Congress to call for the speaker's ouster, setting the stage for Representative Matt Gaetz to do just that.

"We can't put a new speaker in place with this structure. It's completely dysfunctional," Representative Garrett Graves, a key McCarthy ally, told reporters. The entire House - Republicans and Democrats - vote for the chamber's speaker, who would hold the position until early January 2025, unless they were deposed as well. Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries is expected to run against any Republican candidate nominated by the party conference, as he did in January.

Congress is struggling to fund the government in the fiscal year that began on Oct. 1. Four days ago, lawmakers narrowly averted a partial government shutdown that would have stopped pay for more than 4 million federal workers and shuttered a wide range of federal programs. McCarthy relied on Democratic votes to pass a stopgap spending bill which angered Gaetz and other hard-right Republicans.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)