New Twist Emerges in Leadership Race to Replace Paul Ryan

A twist emerged in the leadership race to replace retiring Speaker Paul D. Ryan Friday as House Freedom Caucus founding member Jim Jordan said he’d consider a run. “There is no speaker’s race right now,” Jordan told reporters. “Paul Ryan is the speaker. If and when there is, I’ve been urged by colleagues to consider that and I am definitely open to that. Right now though the focus has got to be on the next six months, us keeping the majority.” Jordan is a tactical politician and this move is not about actually believing he could win a speaker’s race. The Ohio Republican opted against a bid to chair the Oversight Committee last year because he knew he couldn’t get the support of the 32-member Republican Steering Committee that selects committee leaders and members. To think he could get the 218 votes needed to be elected speaker is a stretch — one Jordan probably doesn’t believe. Jordan was seen entering Ryan’s office Friday afternoon, just hours after the news of his potential candidacy broke. His showing interest sends a message from the Freedom Caucus to House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, the leading but still undeclared candidate to replace Ryan, that he doesn’t yet have the support needed to win either. Freedom Caucus members blocked McCarthy from getting the votes needed to ascend to speaker in 2015 after they helped push former Speaker John A. Boehner to resign. Ryan became the consensus candidate at that time but now there’s no clear successor waiting in the wings. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise declined to run against McCarthy but is trying to build support should he falter. Ryan declared Thursday that Scalise said he wants McCarthy to succeed him, but Scalise had a different account of that conversation. “What I told Paul is what I’ve been saying, [which] is look, first of all I’m not running against Kevin, but none of us should be worried about running for anything because we’ve got to be focused on our agenda and keeping the majority,” the Louisiana Republican said Friday. “Because if we don’t keep the majority all this other talk of titles is irrelevant.” Asked if that means he supports McCarthy, Scalise still hedged, “I know people want to nuance everything. What I’ve said is I’m not running against him. But there’s no race. We are not running for offices right now. We’re focused on our agenda.” While Scalise refuses to clear the way for McCarthy, other GOP leaders are aligning with the California Republican and seem to be urging Scalise to do the same. “Steve and I have announced that we’re supporting Kevin and we’re all on the same page on this,” Chief Deputy Whip Patrick McHenry said. McHenry’s name had been floated Wednesday after Ryan announced his retirement as a possible dark horse candidate. The North Carolina Republican laughed at the notion when asked about it Friday. Get breaking news alerts and more from Roll Call on your iPhone or your Android.