Ron DeSantis still backs Jim Jordan for House Speaker

Jim Jordan, Ron DeSantis, Matt Gaetz. Image via AP.

Florida’s Governor has been out of Congress for more than five years now, but he’s still backing the Speaker pick he supported when he was in Washington.

During an interview on the Howie Carr Show, Ron DeSantis said that while he liked U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, he’s still supporting his old Freedom Caucus colleague, U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio.

“I don’t really know the internal dynamics, but I endorsed Jimmy against Paul Ryan back in the day and I think he’d do a good job,” DeSantis said.

DeSantis described both Scalise and Jordan as “good guys,” noting that ideological purity isn’t the only consideration in the race for Speaker.

“I think the question is for them is, OK, you have such a small majority. Who’s going to be able to get 218, 219, 220 to do things that are going to give us leverage to be able to deliver results? And that’s a skill apart from how conservative or not you are,” DeSantis said.

This is the second soft endorsement of Jordan in a local market interview.

During an interview with South Carolina’s WSPA Wednesday night, the Governor added the Ohio Republican to his list of people he’d like to see leading the GOP caucus.

“I think you have guys like Chip Roy from Texas who’s excellent, Thomas Massie from Kentucky who’s excellent, Jim Jordan from Ohio. These guys are all good guys and I think they would do a good job.”

DeSantis famously endorsed Jordan as he was leaving Congress in 2018.

“Look, Jim, he is a champion wrestler, he’s tough, he’s principled. … And so I think it would be great. I mean, I think all the lobbyists would be quaking in their boots if Jim Jordan was Speaker,” DeSantis said in August of that year.

DeSantis has been recently and sharply critical of the previous Speaker, noting he opposed California’s Kevin McCarthy “before it was cool” and tethering the deposed caucus leader to his chief rival in the presidential race, Donald Trump.