Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio met Thursday with the business-minded Main Street Caucus, according to a source familiar, as the House Judiciary chairman works to win over the more centrist-leaning members in his party as part of his campaign to be the next House speaker.
Jordan is among a growing list of GOP lawmakers angling to take the gavel after Kevin McCarthy was ousted earlier this week. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise announced Wednesday he was also running for speaker, and GOP Rep. Kevin Hern of Oklahoma told CNN on Wednesday he is considering a run.
Jordan, during this virtual meeting with the conference Thursday, promised to protect moderates and vowed not to put them in tough positions, according to a source on the call. He also pitched himself as a team player who is best positioned to get the conservative hardliners of the conference in line and bring the fractured party together.
Rep. Nick LaLota, one of the vulnerable New York Republicans, spoke up on the call and seemed to agree with that premise, noting how the Freedom Caucus listens to Jordan. LaLota has not endorsed any candidate yet.
Jordan also talked about the motion to vacate – the process by which Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida was able to successfully lead a charge to oust McCarthy this week. The Main Street Caucus is pushing to make that mechanism harder to use, as under current rules, any one member can use it to oust a speaker. Opponents of the measure have pushed to raise that threshhold or get rid of the procedure altogether. Jordan said any rules changes would need 218 votes to change. He has previously said it’s up to the conference.
Whoever becomes speaker will also need to address a looming government funding deadline in mid-November to avert a shutdown. On a stopgap spending bill, Jordan said he would not work with Democrats but thought they could do a better job on messaging it. McCarthy’s opponents have cited the California Republican’s reliance on Democratic votes to avert a shutdown last weekend as one of the reasons for ousting him.
The House GOP conference is scheduled to meet Tuesday for a candidates forum in hopes of holding elections for the next speaker in a full House floor vote as early as Wednesday, though that timing could slip if no candidate unifies the Republican lawmakers.
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