We continue to see the fallout from the Speaker elections in the GOP caucus.
Yet another member who opposed Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) as Speaker has decided to step down and not run for re-election.
Once Rep. McCarthy (R-CA) was ousted as Speaker, it appeared that Rep. Scalise (R-LA) or Rep. Jordan would get the nod. Even though Scalise won the initial ballot, it was clear that he would not have the votes of the Caucus to take the gavel, so he stepped aside.
When Jim Jordan then came to the forefront, most expected him to breeze through, but there was significant resistance, with plenty of members speaking to the media, either on the record or anonymously, that suggested Jordan was not well-liked or respected in the Caucus.
After several attempts, Jordan also stepped aside, which led to the eventual nomination and successful election of Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) as Speaker.
One of the members that vocally opposed Jordan was Rep. Ferguson (R-GA), who has now announced that he is stepping down and will not be seeking re-election…
— Congressman Drew Ferguson (@RepDrewFerguson) December 14, 2023
He now joins Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX) and Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO), both of whom opposed Jordan and have decided to leave Congress. This leaves another seat to be defended without an incumbent and a leadership void, as Ferguson served as Chief Deputy Whip to Majority Whip Steve Scalise.
I have stated before that this upcoming election would be tough for Republicans to hold the House, already having a razor-thin majority to work with, and this retirement will not make that any easier.
Republicans only hold an eight-seat advantage right now, and district lines have been redrawn in several states, which are going to hurt Republicans significantly. For instance, in Alabama, the lines were drawn to purposely shift a seat from Republicans to Democrats.
With so many incumbent Republicans choosing to step aside, it means the RNC’s finances will be stretched, forcing them to spend more money on seats where the candidates can usually handle the fundraising to defend the seats. With newcomers coming into the race, they surely will not raise as much as the incumbent, which will drain funds the RNC could have used on more competitive seats and the presidential election. Donald Trump's legal situation, which is eating up most of his campaign finances with legal bills, is not a good situation for the Republican Party heading into a general election.
With Democrats already controlling the Senate, even if the GOP manages to win the 2024 presidential election, there are now real concerns about having a president that would be, in effect, a lame duck the moment they are inaugurated.
