Elections

Rep. Jim Jordan says he won’t run for Senate in 2022 after Sen. Rob Portman announces retirement

Published

3 years ago

January 28, 2021

In the wake of Ohio Sen. Rob Portman (R) announcing that he would not seek reelection in 2022, Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan (R) has dispelled rumors that he plans to run for the position.

Jordan “is solely focused on representing the great people of Ohio’s Fourth District, and will not be running to fill the seat of retiring Senator Rob Portman,” a spokesperson for his office told Cleveland.com Thursday.

“Mr. Jordan believes at this time he is better suited to represent Ohioans in the House of Representatives, where as the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, he can advance an America first agenda, promote conservative values, and hold big government accountable,” the spokesperson added.

This statement puts to rests rumors and speculation that Jordan, a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump, would try to run for Portman’s seat, someone who has generally been seen as part of the Republican establishment and not part of the Trump wing of the GOP. Portman was first elected in 2010 and reelected in 2016.

Ever since former President Barack Obama won Ohio in 2008 and 2012, the Buckeye State has been shifting rightward, with Trump winning the state in 2016 and 2020. It should be noted that the only statewide Democrat is Sen. Sherrod Brown.

In his retirement announcement, Portman pointed to the increasing partisan gridlock at the national level as the country moves further to the political extremes.

“We live in an increasingly polarized country where members of both parties are being pushed further to the right and further to the left, and that means too few people who are actively looking to find common ground,” he said.

With Ohio still considered a battleground state and the U.S. Senate split 50-50, the 2022 Senate race in Ohio will very likely be a contentious one and will help determine which of the two major parties control the upper chamber for at least until 2024.

With Jordan out of the picture, other Ohio GOP congressmen have reportedly expressed interest in running, according to The Hill—such as Reps. Reps. Mike Turner, Steve Stivers, Brad Wenstrup and David Joyce.

Likewise, there are some Democrats whom The Hill reports have not ruled out a 2022 Senate run, most notably Reps. Tim Ryan and Joyce Beatty.

You can follow Douglas Braff on Twitter @Douglas_P_Braff.

Elections

Videotapes from Jan. 6 Committee Witness Interviews Vanish

Published

5 days ago

December 4, 2023

Sara Carter Staff

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Videotapes containing witness interviews conducted by the Democrat-led January 6 congressional committee have disappeared. The chairman of the House Administration oversight subcommittee, Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.), expressed his apprehension on the “Just the News, No Noise” television show.

According to Loudermilk, all videotapes of depositions have vanished, raising questions about the preservation of crucial evidence. He argued that, under House rules, these tapes qualified as congressional evidence, especially since some clips were aired during hearings. Loudermilk contended that the tapes should have been preserved by the now-defunct Jan. 6 committee and its chairman, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.).

Loudermilk’s revelation has broader implications, potentially impacting criminal trials in both state court in Georgia and federal court in Washington, where individuals, including former President Donald Trump, face charges related to the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. Notably, Trump’s legal team had recently requested evidence from the Jan. 6 committee but was denied by a judge.

The situation takes a further twist as Loudermilk disclosed that the J6 committee had sent certain evidence, such as transcripts, to the Biden White House and the Homeland Security Department. Shockingly, these transcripts have now been returned to Loudermilk’s GOP-led subcommittee almost entirely redacted, preventing the disclosure of their contents.

The lack of records regarding witnesses, their statements, and the extensive redactions have raised concerns among House Republicans. Loudermilk emphasized that these documents belong to the House and should not have been sent in such a heavily redacted form. The chairman questioned the motives behind the redactions, asking why a Democrat-run House was allowed to have unredacted documents while a Republican committee’s efforts were obstructed. This development adds another layer of complexity to the ongoing investigations into the events surrounding January 6, 2021.