Representative Jim Jordan (R., Ohio), who chairs an insurgent caucus of House conservatives, says that House Speaker John Boehner may face another coup attempt this fall.
Boehner’s fate may hinge on the outcome of a series of high-profile fights this fall — such as a potential government shutdown over defunding Planned Parenthood and a debate over the renewal of the Export-Import Bank, which many conservatives oppose. “The test is coming up and let’s see how we all do,” the House Freedom Caucus (HFC) chairman told C-Span’s Newsmakers in an interview that aired Sunday.
Conservative backbenchers have long viewed Jordan, a former chairman of the Republican Study Committee, as a potential replacement for Boehner. But Jordan has rebuffed all requests to join an effort to depose the speaker. He opposed Iowa Representative Steve King’s last-minute effort to organize a challenge against Boehner in January, and did not support an HFC member who offered a motion to oust Boehner in August.
In the C-Span interview, Jordan refused to say how he would vote if Boehner were to face another challenge later this fall. “That’s not the question,” he said. “That may be the question at some point down the road, but the focus now is on the big issues we have in front of us.”
— Joel Gehrke is a political reporter for National Review.