After facing increasing pressure over the weekend, House Minority Leader Jordan is one step closer to the speaker’s gavel.
On Monday, sources from Speaker Boehner’s office confirmed that representatives from both parties met this weekend to negotiate an agreement on House leaders for the 114th Congress. Jordan, a Tea Party favorite, is now the leading candidate for the job of the speaker, although he does not yet have the necessary votes to be elected.
Jordan has been in negotiations with several other House Republicans in recent months. He has pushed for a number of conservative reforms including the removal of some key spending constraints and greater power over the House rules. Jordan has also been a vocal critic of Boehner’s leadership.
The weekend talks have sent a clear signal to House Republicans that Jordan may be the one selected for the job of the speaker. Despite some opposition within the GOP caucus, his nomination appears almost certain at this point.
If Jordan is elected, it will be the first time in modern American history that a non-establishment candidate has assumed the speaker’s role. He would also become the first Tea Party-affiliated Representative to lead the House.
At this point, it appears that Jordan’s election is all but certain. The only thing left to do is for him to win the votes of his Republican colleagues in the House.
