Some of Arizona’s most hardline Republican House members and a few that aggressively backed the expulsion of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy have pledged to back Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio—Trump’s number one pick and a known staunch anti-LGBTQ+ rights member of Congress for Speaker.
Among those backing the controversial Rep. Jordan is Arizona’s Eli Crane and Rep. Paul Gosar.
Crane announced his support of Jordan during a right wing conservative podcast last week.
Paul Gosar R-Az. endorsed Jordan in his weekly newsletter Oct. 8. Rep. Andy Biggs posted on social media that he would support “the most conservative speaker who can get 218 votes.”
It’s unclear what Biggs means by “most” conservative.
Eight Republicans including Arizona’s Crane and Biggs joined voted to remove former Speaker, Kevin McCarthy.
Since then, America has witnessed chaos and infighting within the GOP party in one of the most tumultuous weeks in Congress.
Jim Jordan has defended Trump’s election fraud lies and many unevidenced claims made by Trump along with other MAGA lawmakers who continue to support him.
But his record against LGBTQ+ rights and his aggressive opposition to those communities stands out as one of the worst among lawmakers.
Jordan denounced the Equality Act and led Republicans in the debate against the bill which would expand anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people.
He co-sponsored a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage entirely in 2015 and Jordan is vocal and unapologetic in is anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric.
Northeast Valley News asked frequent contributor Devon Noels, an LGBTQ+ activist and ASU student about the Speaker position possibly being filled by Jordan.
“Look, he’s one of the most outspoken ant-LGBTQ+ members in Congress. And if Trump endorsed him, he’s just not ok. Trump is the leader of the most extreme right agenda in our history and that includes anti-LGBTQ+ legislation—our communities and our population have come too far to let extremists like Jordan push us back and he has been trying to do that for years,” Noels said.
It’s unclear whether Jordan will have enough votes to secure the Republican nod for Speaker but the longer the vacancy remains and the GOP House is mired in chaos— the longer the American people are without a sense of governing.
President Biden when asked by reporters on Friday whether he would support a Jordan speakership said, “Look, whomever the House speaker is I’m going to try to work with. They control half the Congress.”
