By Sarah Ferris, CNN
(CNN) — House Republicans are still reeling after the midterm elections decimated their ranks and set off a fight for the party’s future. Now, Jim Jordan, a pro-Trump, hardline conservative, will lead the party in the minority next year.
A dejected House GOP conference on Tuesday elected Jordan minority leader for the new Congress. The choice to elevate one of the GOP’s most combative figures signals Republicans are ready for all-out battle against Democrats in 2027.
Jordan, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, pitched himself to colleagues as the best-equipped to tee off an insurgent Democratic Party, which will have a robust oversight agenda targeting President Donald Trump’s White House. He’s also a high-octane former wrestling coach, with the ability to act as a political attack dog in a way that his allies said his challenger, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, lacks.
The Ohio lawmaker’s ascension is a rejection of the status quo that many Republicans believe cost them the election — by choosing not to promote their current No. 2 House Republican, Scalise. A veteran of House GOP leadership, Scalise is a more reserved, old-school conservative who famously survived a gunshot wound nearly a decade ago and is friendly with Trump.
But Republicans’ decision to back Jordan — who made a name for himself as a Freedom Caucus rebel and has long been one of Trump’s most stalwart defenders — is a reflection that Trump remains the party’s future, at least for now.
Rather than a path of moderation, the party is opting for a more hardline leader as it seeks relevance in the next two years. (The House GOP itself will also be a far more conservative group next year, with most of its remaining moderates wiped out, from New Jersey to Arizona, in the midterms.)
“[Trump] is still the leader of our party. We are going to be fighting tooth and nail to make sure his agenda continues to stay implemented,” a person familiar with his Jordan’s thinking told CNN.
Scalise had told members he would seek out ways to work with Democrats to achieve GOP priorities. But the person close to Jordan countered that Democrats had no reason to work with Republicans: “They have the numbers, they don’t need us. We need to be uniting as a team.”
The-CNN-Wire
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