It looks like the choice for the next Speaker of the House is leaning heavily in favor of Rep. Jim Jordan. Essentially the battle is between Jordan and Rep. Steve Scalise and Jordan is coming out on top.

I may be wrong but the reporting on the speaker’s race has been tilted toward Jordan since he tossed his hat in the ring. On Thursday, Axios reported that McCarthy allies are working to gather support for Jordan, not the traditional choice, which would be Steve Scalise. Scalise is the House Majority Leader and at the top of the party leadership. In normal times, he would be the next speaker. But, these are not normal times. The fact that we are here is proof of that. McCarthy is the first speaker to be ousted due to a vote to vacate the position. McCarthy’s surrogates are asking House Republicans to hold off on endorsing Scalise.

Republican Study Committee Chairman Kevin Hern (R-OK) may enter the race, too.

It’s all about the wheeling and dealing going on right now.

“It’s definitely true that McCarthy through surrogates is calling members to support Jordan,” one senior lawmaker told Axios.

Another House Republican characterized an exchange with a McCarthy ally as “not advocating [for a particular candidate] so much as suggesting to ‘keep their powder dry.'”
One of McCarthy’s closest allies, Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.), took a thinly veiled swipe at Scalise on Wednesday, telling reporters: “I think this whole narrative about every member of the existing leadership taking one step up is bullsh*t.”

McCarthy’s office denies the coordination to support Jordan, natch. Scalise and Jordan frequently do not see eye-to-eye. Insiders are not surprised that McCarthy would support Jordan. But Scalise has endorsements from colleagues like House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN.) who many thought might enter the race himself.

It isn’t clear who can reach the 218 votes which are needed. There may be a strong tilt toward Jordan coming soon. Word is, according to Sean Hannity, is that Trump is going to endorse Jordan. Hannity said he had that tidbit confirmed by more than one unnamed source before he went on air Thursday night. Trump has toyed with the idea of offering himself for speaker but that would be a disaster. His ego loves it. His most loyal supporters like Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is hoping to be Trump’s vice president selection, has voiced her support for Trump as speaker and president.

House Republicans are scheduled to have a candidate forum Tuesday. The election will be on Wednesday. Everyone knows we are in uncharted territory. The outcome isn’t certain but I’m willing to go out on a limb and predict that Jordan comes out on top. We’ll know next week if my Magic 8 Ball is correct.

It seems to me that for swing district voters represented by Republicans who won their district but Joe Biden won there, too, it would be best to elect a speaker who can work with anyone for the good of the republic and to advance Republicans’ goals. Scalise is considered the stable candidate who is not a glory hog but a hard worker. Jim Jordan is more hot-headed. Don’t get me wrong, Jordan does great work during House hearings.

Some are concerned about the health of Steve Scalise. He is fighting blood cancer and it may take all his energy to focus on that. I hate to say it but that is a legit concern. A Trump endorsement in the speaker’s race won’t play well in swing states. I don’t have a vote but I would lean toward Scalise. Both Scalise and Jordan can count the ability to work well with the various factions in the Republican caucus as an attribute. Kevin Hern is well-liked, too.

Let’s hope that Republicans can do the right thing for once and settle on a new speaker and be ready to vote on Wednesday without too much drama. We are approaching a critical time with the presidential primary races approaching and then the general election. If Republicans lose the presidency, the House, and fail to flip the Senate, we can’t save the country from its decline. We are on a bad path and the socialists and Marxists in the Biden administration must be shown the door before it is too late.

Republicans have to prove they can lead and stop the clown show. Who will vote for Republicans if they can’t even run the House?

UPDATE: And just like that, Donald Trump enthusiastically endorsed Jim Jordan for speaker late Thursday night on Truth Social. Stick a fork in it, it’s done. Jordan will be Speaker of the House. Trump plans to visit Congress before the vote for speaker next week.