Freedom Caucus Chair Says ‘Group Would Look Favorably’ on Ryan Speakership Run
(CNSNews.com) - Rep. Jim Jordan (R.-Ohio), the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, a group of about 40 conservative House members, said on Fox News Sunday that the group would “look favorably” on Rep. Paul Ryan(R.-Wisc.) if he ran for speaker, but said that the Freedom Caucus has endorsed Rep. Daniel Webster (R.-Fla.).
Jordan stressed that Freedom Caucus members are focused on seeing a change in the way the House is run so that the speaker does not have inordinate power and use it in retaliation against conservative members who do not do the leaderships’ bidding.
On Thursday, after House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said that he was withdrawing from the speaker’s race, Ryan issued a statement saying he was not running for speaker. However, on Friday, McCarthy said Ryan was reconsidering that decision.
“Kevin McCarthy is best person to lead the House, and so I’m disappointed in this decision,” Ryan said. “Now it is important that we, as a Conference, take time to deliberate and seek new candidates for the speakership. While I am grateful for the encouragement I’ve received, I will not be a candidate. I continue to believe I can best serve the country and this conference as Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee.”
“Paul is looking at it, but it’s his decision,” McCarthy told CNN on Friday. “If he decides to do it, he would be an amazing speaker. But he’s got to decide on his own.”
On Fox News Sunday, host Chris Wallace asked Jordan if members of the Freedom Caucus would support Ryan if he ran.
“We’ve endorsed Daniel Webster [R.-Fla.], but Paul Ryan is a good man,” said Jordan. “He’s a great communicator, the kind of messenger I think our party needs. And certainly, if he gets in the race, I think our group would look favorably on him.”
Jordan said that a key issue was reforming the way the House is run.
“But we're much more concerned about reforming the institution,” said Jordan. “This is not just about who the next speaker is, it’s about what's going to change the business as usual attitude around there, changing that is foremost on our minds. That's what we're focused on.”
Jordan gave the removal of Rep. Tim Huelskamp from the Agriculture Committee as an example of the Republican leaderships’ abuse of power.
“Great example is Tim Huelskamp, a congressman from Kansas, a place where they have a bit of agriculture, was kicked off the Agriculture Committee, because he wouldn't do what the top people in the house told him to do,” Jordan said.
“Here’s the interesting thing: kicked off the Agriculture Committee, and he’s got a PhD in agriculture policy,” said Jordan. “That’s the kind of stuff that has to stop, because when you have that kind of environment, I would argue it's not conducive to producing the results that we told the voters we were going to go when they gave us a chance to serve them.”
After a meeting of the Republican House conference on Friday, Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R.-Utah), who is running for speaker, said he would not run if Ryan decides to seek the job.
“No, I would not run against Paul Ryan,” said Chaffetz.
“I’ll try to be as clear as I can,” Chaffetz said. “If Paul Ryan gets in the race, I am a huge fan of Paul Ryan. I would support Paul Ryan. I would hope that he would do it. But he has consistently said that he won’t. But we got to get somebody who actually wants to do it and will fight for it and make the most of it. Maybe his approach changes. But he is certainly, in my mind, the most qualified person to do it, and I’d hope he would do it.”
Rep. Daniel Webster (R.-Fla.), who has been endorsed by the Freedom Caucus, served as speaker of the Florida state house and majority leader in the Florida state senate. He told reporters on Friday that he was running for speaker to shift the balance of power in the House so that regular members have more say.
“We have a power-based system, where a few people at the top of the pyramid of power make all the decisions,” Webster said. “All I want to do is do what I did in Florida: push down that pyramid of power, spread out the base, so every member gets a lift up. Done. That’s it. That’s all I want.
“I am not running against anybody,” said Webster. “I am not running against a personality or a name. I am just running for that set of principles that says we are going to have a principle-based member-groomed Congress.”
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