Gaetz Endorses Jim Jordan as House Speaker

While the Republican Party has won majority in the U.S. House of Representatives, tensions have arisen over who will be the new Speaker. While House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is the presumptive, new Speaker. there has been a contingent of those opposed to him. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL-1) is easily one of the most vocal members of this opposition, voicing support for Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) instead.

Rep. Gaetz discussed this in an appearance on News Nation's Morning in America.

"I don’t think there are five people that would oppose Rep. @Jim_Jordan for Speaker," the News Nation Twitter account quotes him.

"Kevin McCarthy believes in a House of Representatives where the leadership make all the decisions," says Gaetz. He says that a centralized system in the House, regardless of which party controls it, "has failed the American people." Gaetz bases his assertion on the fact that Congressional bills are exceedingly long, too long to be properly reviewed and analyzed.

By contrast, Gaetz describes "our vision is for a House of Representatives where all of the members are empowered to represent their constituents, to have a real voice on matters of appropriations, and I think that's important, given the fights that we have ahead with the Biden administration over spending."

He says the "principal mandate" for Republicans right now is battling inflation since it holds government spending as the primary driver of inflation. However, "we don't see Kevin McCarthy fit for that battle." Gaetz also adds that he is "troubled" by McCarthy' suggestion that President Donald Trump resign over the events of January 6th, and the insinuation that Gaetz's criticism of Rep. Liz Cheney helped foment violence.

Host Adrienne Bankert then asks who Gaetz believes should be Speaker as opposed to McCarthy, mentioning his previous suggestion of Trump. Gaetz responds that he himself has no intention of running, nor does Trump. Instead, he suggests Rep. Jordan as mentioned, praising him as Congress's "most talented" and "hardest-working" member.

Additionally, he doubts there would be much opposition to Jordan as Speaker among Republicans. "We're a big tent," says Gaetz, "we've got centrists, moderates, America First folks, MAGA folks, and for us to be a capable fighting force for the American people, we need a leader with credibility across every spectrum of the Republican Conference, and that person is not Kevin McCarthy."

Grayson Bakich

Florida born and raised, Grayson Bakich is a recent recipient of a Master’s Degree in Political Science at the University of Central Florida. His thesis examined recent trends in political polarization and how this leads into justification of violence.