Although U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman opposed efforts to remove former U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-California, from his seat Tuesday, she has quickly turned her focus to who’s going to be the next speaker.
On Thursday afternoon, Hageman endorsed Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio to be the next speaker and said that she will urge all of her colleagues and the American public to do the same. She considers Jordanthe “definition of a solid conservative and a truly effective leader.”
“We desperately need a conservative leader who will fight against the growth of government, against increased government spending and against the swamp that controls Washington,” Hageman said in a Thursday press release. “Jim has been doing that his entire career. He will fight for our Constitutional rights, for a limited federal government and for our America First principles.”
Hageman, Jordan and Trump
Hageman’s support for Jordan doesn’t come as much of a surprise as he is one of the leading figures of the populist conservative movement that has strongly embraced former President Donald Trump and his policies. Hageman has never wavered on her support for Trump since receiving his endorsement in her bid for congress in 2021.
Hageman said Jordan was one of the first members of Congress to provide counsel and guidance to her campaign.
”He didn’t blink, he didn’t flinch, he was in from the get-go,” she said,
Other Connections
Jordan and Hageman are closely aligned on the Judiciary Committee together and are both members of the House Freedom Caucus, of which Jordan is the vice chair.
The House Freedom Caucus is supported by the State Freedom Caucus Network, which is connected to a local branch of hardline conservative legislators in Wyoming, the Wyoming Freedom Caucus. Hageman has earned consistently strong support from that group.
“As chairman of the Judiciary Committee, he has been a warrior, staying focused on stopping the leftist weaponization of the federal government opponents and rooting out Biden family corruption,” Hageman said.
Hageman said Jordan also has been strong on border security, and the two worked together on a piece of legislation passed through the House that she considers “the most conservative border security bill this body has ever passed.”
“Jim will fight against the Biden White House and Democrat controlled Senate, so that we don’t send another dollar, that should be protecting our border, to Ukraine to enrich their oligarchs,” Hageman said.
His Chances
Most people on Capitol Hill expect Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-Louisiana, to be the strongest contender for speaker, a well-known and generally well-respected member of the House.
Politico reports, however, that McCarthy aides have backed Jordan’s bid, and that McCarthy and Scalise have an old rivalry.
To be elected speaker, Jordan can’t lose more than three Republican votes or must manage to somehow get Democrats to vote for him, which is highly unlikely.
Also supporting Jordan’s bid is Florida Republican congressman Matt Gaetz, who led the effort to remove McCarthy. Hageman indirectly criticized Gaetz for this move Tuesday.
“There are far too many pressing concerns facing this nation for Congress to be pulled into such a self-serving stunt as one member is selfishly trying to torpedo the business of the House,” she said.
Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.
