Jim Jordan failed to become speaker last year. But his rise in the GOP may not be over yet

BOARDMAN, Ohio — For years, the sign had been sitting in a corner of the Republican Party headquarters in Mahoning County, Ohio, gathering dust.

“Welcome future Speaker of House Jim Jordan,” it said.

Donald Skowron, a retired Youngstown police officer who had stenciled the sign back in 2015, made sure it was back on display, spruced up for the occasion, as Jordan stopped by last week for a campaign visit ahead of this year's election.

Jordan didn’t acknowledge the sign and instead focused his brief remarks on the candidates in Ohio's most competitive races that could determine control of the House and Senate.

But the Ohio Republican's leadership ambitions have been vividly apparent, if unspoken, as he engages on a multi-state tour aimed at bolstering House Republican candidates.

Jordan denies that he’s running for any leadership job, telling The Associated Press in an interview in the lobby of a Marriott hotel that his aims are to help maintain Republican control and lead the House Judiciary Committee for another two years.

“I’m focused," Jordan said when asked about running for a leadership position, and then he shifted gears. “We’re going to win, and Mike Johnson is going to be speaker and President Trump is going to be in the White House,” he said.

Yet the 60-year-old has spent the runup to Election Day acting less like a powerful committee chairman and more like an “informal” member of the House Republican leadership team, according to GOP lawmakers and aides. Many see his activities as a shadow race of sorts to become GOP leader, particularly if the party loses its majority and seeks a fresh start.

Jordan has appeared with incumbents and candidates in Colorado, Arkansas, Missouri and Michigan. And he’s been active in his home state of Ohio, which has two of the most competitive House races in the country.

Rep. Michael Rulli, R-Ohio, who spent several days with Jordan as he trekked across the state from Toledo to Akron, said Jordan has been “working around the clock.”

“I do think he’s kind of an informal member of the leadership team,” Republican candidate Kevin Coughlin, who is running in a tight race for Ohio’s 13th District, told the AP. “There’s no question about that, that he’s part of decision making.”

Once loathed by Republican leaders, Jordan has evolved from outside agitator to party asset. The change has come amid a broader transformation in the GOP, first under the Tea Party and now in the age of Trump as he seeks another term in the White House.

Coughlin, who has known Jordan since the two men both served in the Ohio Statehouse, said Jordan “has figured out how to walk the balance between principle and effectiveness.”

“You know, if you’re one of those folks that just wants to burn the place down when you don’t get your way every time, you’re not going to be a very effective person,” Coughlin said. “And I think he’s figured that out.”

Jordan is a beloved figure within the GOP base in part because of his pugilistic style on Capitol Hill, where he is known for sparring with Democrats in committee hearings.

Republicans facing both tough and easy races across the country have been eager to appear alongside Jordan, wanting both the enthusiasm he brings as voters line up to take a selfie with the MAGA favorite, and the fundraising boost he generates with conservative donors.

In the last month alone, Jordan handed over $1.5 million to the National Republican Congressional Committee, the campaign arm for GOP races, according to recent Federal Election Commission disclosures. That makes the total he’s given this cycle $2.5 million, one of the heftier sums he’s contributed since arriving in Washington in 2007.

One Republican aide said Jordan’s cash flow came at an hour of need as the party had been struggling for months to compete with Democrats’ fundraising numbers.

To be sure, Jordan's campaign activities are dwarfed by that of Speaker Johnson, who has been crisscrossing the country for months in his role as GOP majority maker, raising more than $26 million for the NRCC since securing the gavel a year ago. While his future in leadership is far from assured, Johnson has a powerful ally in Trump. Should Republicans win the majority, his ability to gain the gavel would be significantly strengthened.

And despite his popularity with colleagues, Jordan's potential campaign for a leadership role faces a major obstacle: Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise, the House majority leader.

Scalise is also well-liked among colleagues and has over the years been a fundraising powerhouse for House Republicans, building valuable support in any leadership race. In the last few months alone, Scalise has raised $15.2 million for NRCC, according to financial disclosures, making his total raised this cycle a little more than $55 million.

But Scalise made his own failed run for speaker last year as he dealt with medical treatments for blood cancer. He assured colleagues he was up to the job despite his health challenges.

For now, Jordan is building bridges and allies in unexpected corners of the party, seeking to prove that his political skillset goes beyond being a firebrand and showing loyalty to Trump.

“I learned a long time ago that winning beats losing. So, we’re trying to win. And we’re trying to help everybody,” Jordan told the AP.