Jim Jordan announces bid for House Speaker

WASHINGTON, D.C. — An Ohio congressman is throwing his hat in the ring to run for the newly vacated Speaker of the House position.

Republican Representative Jim Jordan spoke about the idea of running for the position vacated after Kevin McCarthy was voted out Tuesday.

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“I’ve had a lot of people reach out to us, asking me to do it because they think we can. We’ll see if that happens, but I think I can,” Jordan told reporters Wednesday.

Jordan wrote a letter Wednesday, requesting support from his GOP colleagues.

“We are at a critical crossroad in our nation’s history. Now is the time for our Republican conference to come together to keep our promises to Americans,” Jordan wrote in the letter shared to social media. “The problems we face are challenging, but they are not insurmountable. 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. I respectfully ask for your support for Speaker of the House of Representatives.”

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When asked by reporters how much support he would have preliminarily, Jordan said it appeared to be strong.

“Based on the text messages and phone calls I’ve gotten, it seems strong,” he said.

Jordan voted against removing McCarthy on Tuesday. Still, eight Republicans broke rank and voted with all Democrats to remove him by a 216-210 vote.

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