House Republicans, why haven’t you endorsed Jim Jordan for speaker of the House yet?
That is the question more than 1,000 grassroots activists from at least 11 states will be asking their representatives on Wednesday during the FreedomWorks “Rally for the Republic” day of action.
Mothers, fathers, small-business owners, college students, taxpayers of all races, ages, and economic circumstances will be taking time out of their busy schedules to demand their representatives support Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, for speaker of the House of Representatives.
Some activists will sacrifice precious time needed to get their households organized in the first month back to school. Others, still reeling from the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, will postpone their own recovery efforts to make the trip. If taxpayers are willing to disrupt their lives in the middle of a work week to travel to Washington, you can bet they will make time to vote in November.
For the most active voting bloc in the Republican Party (fiscal conservatives), the speakership battle is the defining issue of the midterm elections. If a GOP majority is not led by individuals who believe in transparency and small government, what is the point of having a Republican majority at all?
Jordan is the co-founder of the House Freedom Caucus, and a dream candidate for those looking to drain the swamp. Supporting his candidacy should be an obvious choice for Republicans who believe in the values of individual liberty.
A Jordan-led House would work alongside the Trump administration to fight for spending cuts and a return to fiscal sanity. It would increase transparency at the federal level, and take real steps to reform healthcare, welfare, and the FBI.
Jordan believes members of Congress are public servants with an obligation to arrive in Washington, D.C., and do what they promised voters back home they would do. His own voting record demonstrates that, at every possible opportunity, he stands with the side protecting freedom.
Current leadership operates in secrecy, making huge deals behind closed doors without input from colleagues. A Jordan speakership would bring the legislative process out into the open, empowering all lawmakers to have a real voice in the GOP congressional agenda.
Knowing all of this, House Republicans should be asking themselves one simple question: If we don’t represent Jim Jordan’s brand of Republican, what exactly do we represent?
The silence of House Republicans does not represent likely GOP voters, who enthusiastically chanted “Jordan!” and “Speaker of the House!” when Trump called Jordan to the stage during a recent Ohio political rally.
The silence of House Republicans certainly does not represent FreedomWorks’ community of 6 million volunteer activists who overwhelmingly support a change candidate for leadership.
When FreedomWorks recently surveyed 4,200 members of our grassroots community, we found that 99.2 percent (4,203 individuals) of individuals supported Jordan for speakership. Only 0.08 percent (32 individuals) supported Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., the current House Majority Leader. The overwhelming rejection of McCarthy was so dramatic, we had to make sure it wasn’t a typo.
By staying silent, Republicans in Congress are implicitly endorsing the status quo. They are signing up for more of the same failed leadership operating in secrecy, and more $1.3 trillion spending sprees. As history demonstrates, when Republicans vote like Democrats, GOP voters stay home.
Beltway pundits and entrenched party strategists will downplay the speakership battle as nothing more than inside baseball. But the reality is, congressional support for Jordan will determine whether GOP voters show up at the polls or catch up on errands instead.
If Republicans want constituents to support their re-election, they must voice support for Jordan, right now, on the record. They need to give voters a good faith reason to show up in November.
The White House brought the fight to Washington, and Republicans in Congress have repeatedly failed to hold up their end of the bargain. Certain members of the House GOP seem to be just fine with that.
Thanks to more than 1,000 grassroots activists walking the halls of Congress this week, Republican voters will know exactly who those gutless members of the majority are.
Adam Brandon (@adam_brandon) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. He is president and CEO of FreedomWorks.
