HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — 5th Congressional District Rep. Dale Strong (R-Alabama) announced his endorsement of Rep. Jim Jordan as the next Speaker of the House in Washington. Strong made his endorsement public Monday afternoon outside the Westin Hotel in Huntsville.
"From cutting spending, to securing our border, the American people want Congress to get to work," Strong said. "Jim Jordan is the right man to lead our conference as Speaker of the House."
He added that he made sure Jordan understood North Alabama's role in national defense. "You look at what's going on right now in Israel, in the Gaza Strip... National security has been and continues to be a number-one issue for me. I can't do my business on House Armed Services [Committee] until we get a Speaker."
Strong voted to keep ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy during the historic Oct. 3 vote, stating that "we have a narrow window to finish our work on the appropriations process, and discord within our conference threatens our ability to put conservative legislation on the president's desk."
Republicans chose firebrand Rep. Jim Jordan as their new nominee for House speaker during internal voting last week.
A favorite of former President Donald Trump and darling of the party’s rabble-rousing base, Jordan's path to the U.S. government's third-highest office is by no means certain in a House Republican conference riven by conflict following the removal of McCarthy. To win, Jordan will need support from nearly every House Republican, having few votes to spare in a chamber they only narrowly control.
Should Jordan succeed, it would help cement the far right’s takeover of the Republican Party and trigger fresh conflict with Democrats over the size and scope of government. But a Jordan speakership would also come with baggage that could present a challenge to Republicans as they labor to hold their House majority in next year's election, an effort that will likely hinge on drawing support from moderate voters in swing districts.
Some members of Congress — including those in his own party — label Jordan an extremist unworthy of the speakership, pointing to his active role in Trump's bid to stop the certification of the 2020 presidential election, as well as his refusal to honor a congressional subpoena about the Jan. 6 attack at the Capitol.