Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) reportedly denied plans to launch a bid next year to fill the seat of Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), who announced his unexpected retirement this week.
Jordan, who has gained a reputation for being a vocal foot soldier of former President Trump, will instead launch a re-election bid for his House seat, according to a spokesperson for his congressional campaign who spoke with CNN.
Fox News on Thursday also reported on Jordan’s plans to launch his bid to hang onto his House seat.
A spokesperson for Jordan’s congressional campaign told Fox News on Thursday that he is “honored by the overwhelming encouragement he has received to run for the United States Senate.”
“However, he is solely focused on representing the great people of Ohio’s Fourth District, and will not be running to fill the seat of retiring Senator Rob Portman,” the spokesperson told Fox News. “Mr. Jordan believes that at this time he is better suited to represent Ohioans in the House of Representatives, where as the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, he can advance an America first agenda, promote conservative values, and hold big government accountable.”
Portman’s unexpected retirement earlier this week is expected to draw a jam-packed Republican primary. Portman’s seat is among the ones Democrats, with their new majority in the Senate, are hoping to flip.
Speculation of Jordan possibly running for the Senate was sparked when seemingly every Ohio politician released a statement thanking Portman for his service upon the senator’s retirement announcement, while also teasing the possibility of a run.
Jordan, however, went AWOL upon Portman’s announcement.
Although Jordan was thought to be considering a primary challenge to Ohio Governor Mike DeWine (R) — whose term, like Portman’s seat, is up in 2022 — Fox News reported earlier Thursday that Jordan was “considering” an Ohio Senate run to fill Portman’s seat.
On Wednesday night, Jordan told Fox News host Laura Ingraham that “we haven’t decided anything” and that he is focused on his work in the House.
Earlier this month, Jordan complained about Democrats “canceling” Trump with their second impeachment of the former president, who incited the deadly insurrection at the Capitol that left five dead.
“Democrats are going to impeach the President for a second time one week, one week before he leaves office. Why? Why?” the Republican asked on the House floor ahead of the impeachment vote. “Politics and the fact that they want to cancel the President.”
Democrats also piled on Jordan earlier this month for repeatedly refusing to acknowledge that Joe Biden won the election “fair and square.” Jordan,who had repeatedly used Trumpian rhetoric to push bogus election fraud claims, eventually came around to begrudgingly concede that Biden indeed won the election.
