Conservative Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) announced his bid for House minority leader on Wednesday, challenging Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) hours after Democrats regained control of the lower chamber.
“I plan to run for minority leader,” Jordan told Hill.TV’s Buck Sexton on “Rising.”
“In 2016, the American people elected Republicans to come here and change this town. I think the president is doing just that, but I don’t think they see the same intensity from folks in Congress, folks in the House of Representatives,” he continued.
“Have we replaced ObamaCare yet? Have we secured the border yet? Have we reformed welfare yet? No we haven’t,” he said.
Jordan went on to slam current GOP leadership in the House, saying they were not willing to engage in debate with Democrats.
“Now that we’re in the minority, that’s about all we can do is debate, but fight hard in the debate for the principles, for the things that we know the American people sent us here to do in 2016. Show them that we deserve to be back in power in 2020,” he said.
Jordan’s comments come hours after he won his reelection bid in Ohio’s 4th Congressional District against Democrat Janet Garrett.
Earlier this year, Jordan, a co-founder of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, announced his bid to replace Speaker Paul Ryan after the Wisconsin Republican announced his retirement.
Jordan has been one of President Trump’s staunchest allies on Capitol Hill, frequently slamming the Justice Department and special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe into Russian election meddling, which Trump has called a “witch hunt.”
He and Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, introduced articles of impeachment earlier this year against Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who is overseeing Mueller’s probe.
— Julia Manchester
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