Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan said Wednesday that he is running for Speaker of the House just one day after Kevin McCarthy was ousted.
Jordan, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, was asked by reporters if he is running for Speaker, as many GOP members have nominated him for the job, to which he said, “Yes.”
McCarthy delivered a speech Tuesday night after being ousted as speaker, saying he will not be running for the position again.
Just after McCarthy addressed his conference where he told members he would not be seeking the speakership again, he delivered a speech in the U.S. Capitol, saying he is leaving the speakership with a sense of pride, accomplishment and optimism.
The U.S. House voted Tuesday to remove McCarthy as speaker after Democrats joined with eight House Republicans to vote for a motion to vacate the chair.
READ THE LETTER HE SENT FOR SUPPORT HERE:
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) October 4, 2023
Representative Jim Jordan, a Republican from Ohio and chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, during a hearing in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, July 26, 2023. (Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Republican Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz filed the motion to vacate the chair Monday night, which then picked up the support of Democrats. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries “definitively” called for a vote against any procedural motion to delay the motion to vacate the chair earlier Tuesday and also said Democrats should vote to remove McCarthy. (RELATED: House Votes To Remove Kevin McCarthy As Speaker)
The final vote on the motion to vacate was 216-210. Gaetz, along with Republican Reps. Bob Good, Tim Burchett, Eli Crane, Matt Rosendale, Andy Biggs, Ken Buck and Nancy Mace voted for the motion to vacate the chair.
Gaetz has said his “mentor” Jordan would be “great” as Speaker.