An Ohio newspaper published a series of scathing cartoons featuring Representative Jim Jordan as House Republicans' efforts to name a new speaker continue.
Last week, GOP Representative Kevin McCarthy became the first House speaker in U.S. history to be ousted from his position after Representative Matt Gaetz filed a motion to vacate. The disruption has thrown the U.S. House into disarray as the Republicans scramble to find a new speaker, an effort that's proving just as difficult as it was the last time, when it took 15 rounds of voting to elect McCarthy.
Jordan, who represents Ohio's 4th District, was among the Republicans interested in the job. He received a glowing endorsement from Donald Trump, but a secret ballot at the Wednesday GOP Conference nominated Scalise instead. Jordan then urged his fellow representatives to elect Scalise, but the latter pulled out of the race Thursday night when it became clear he wouldn't garner enough support among Republicans to secure the position. It is not clear if Jordan will seek the position again.
After Scalise exited the race, The Columbus Dispatch, the Buckeye State's second-largest newspaper, published on Friday a cartoon series featuring Jordan. The cartoons were published alongside a report from the paper's opinion and community engagement editor, Amelia Robinson.
"Editorial cartoonists have captured [Jordan's] career in politics from before accusations arose that he was very aware former OSU wrestling team doctor Richard Strauss was abusing student athletes to his nasty dust ups with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis," Robinson wrote. "Here are 10 more cartoons about U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio in no particular order."
The cartoons showed Jordan in a variety of situations, such as being squashed by an OSU wrestler and crashing cymbals together and voicing his desire to be part of the January 6 congressional hearings as another figure in the cartoon issues him a subpoena. Various cartoons featuring him with Willis, whose 2020 election investigation in Georgia led to an indictment against Trump, and others.
Newsweek reached out to Jordan's office by email for comment.
The cartoon series was published a week after the Dispatch published a strong rebuke of Jordan in a letter to the editor headlined "Electing Jim Jordan speaker would be a catastrophe for America."
"With Trump's endorsement, I am assuming Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, will win," reader Randal Morrison of Columbus wrote in the letter. "That is a catastrophe for America. There is no worse human being to have a leadership position than Jim Jordan. Terrible for policy—Ukraine, the economy, the planet, and justice for those not like him."
However, Jordan's likelihood of winning the speakership is low, given that several Republicans have voiced their disapproval of his candidacy as speaker. The Republicans have a razor-thin 221-212 majority in the House, meaning that a speaker candidate must garner nearly total GOP support to secure the position.
Republicans who have spoken out against Jordan becoming House speaker include Representatives Austin Scott, Ann Wagner and Carlos Gimenez. Jordan has secured support from others, including Gaetz.
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