Ron DeSantis still backs Jim Jordan for House Speaker
Jim Jordan, Ron DeSantis, Matt Gaetz. Image via AP.

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'I endorsed Jimmy against Paul Ryan back in the day and I think he'd do a good job.'

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.

A.G. Gancarski

A.G. Gancarski has been the Northeast Florida correspondent for Florida Politics since 2014. He writes for the New York Post and National Review also, with previous work in the American Conservative and Washington Times and a 15+ year run as a columnist in Folio Weekly. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter: @AGGancarski


9 comments

  • Joe

    October 10, 2023 at 7:09 pm

    Groomers of a feather groom together

    • Impeach Biden

      October 10, 2023 at 7:12 pm

      Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, AOC, Tlaib, Omar, Wasserman-Schultz, Nadler, Warren, and on and on have their groomer as well.

      • Rick Whitaker

        October 11, 2023 at 8:23 am

        how many more decent thoughtful people can you impune? what about bernie. we all know you are a maga cultist so go to bannon’s war room and agree with everything he says. you sound like a nazi brownshirt in lockstep with your so-called leader. an open mind would help you a lot but the maga cult don’t allow open mindfulness . get real DUDE.

      • MH/Duuuval

        October 11, 2023 at 9:39 am

        And, who would that be?

        Obama?

    • My Take

      October 10, 2023 at 7:25 pm

      Fascism may be sticky.

  • Rick Whitaker

    October 10, 2023 at 7:13 pm

    every rep desantis called a good guy was a maga cultist. voters please remember this..

  • PeterH

    October 11, 2023 at 12:42 am

    Of course DeSantis would support Jordan! Why hasn’t Jordan testified before the House committee investigating Trump’s crimes? Is Gym afraid he’ll have to lie again? House Republicans will not install this wingnut as Speaker! Maybe Santos who faces ten new felonies will endorse Gym!

    • Rick Whitaker

      October 11, 2023 at 8:25 am

      they love chaos, they got it.

  • Sonja Fitch

    October 13, 2023 at 3:41 am

    Of course Desantis endorse a pedophile! There is absolutely no common good in Desantis! Extremes are all that Desantis knows or does! Get out Desantis!

Comments are closed.


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