Trump ally Ronny Jackson weighs bid for top House Armed Services spot

Rep. Ronny Jackson, a conservative ally of President Donald Trump, is considering jumping into the race to fill the top GOP spot on the House Armed Services Committee after the midterms.

The three-term Texas Republican said Thursday he'd likely need to make a decision "soon" about joining the field — which already includes Reps. Rob Wittman (R-Va.) and Trent Kelly (R-Miss.). But he added that he won't base his decision off other candidates or events, like this week's Virginia redistricting referendum that threatens Wittman's reelection.

"If I do it, I'm going to do it regardless of any other factors," Jackson said. "It's not going to be related to anything else that's going on or anybody else that's running."

Dark horse: Jackson — a retired Navy officer and former White House physician — chairs the House Armed Services Intelligence and Special Operations Subcommittee. But two members with more seniority who are also subcommittee chairs, Wittman and Kelly, have already said they intend to run. Current Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), who is term-limited, could also seek a waiver to keep the top spot.

That would make Jackson a dark horse candidate. But Jackson dismissed concerns about his lack of seniority, pointing instead to his military record.

"That's not the way we operate here in the House. And it's not the way we operate in the Republican Party. Everything's not based on seniority," Jackson told reporters. "It should be the right person for the job, and if I feel like I'm the right person for the job, then I'll put my name in the hat."

"I may not have been here in Congress as long as some people, but I have 25 years in the United States Navy. That counts for something," he said.

From the right: Should he run, Jackson would arguably be the most conservative of the prospective Armed Services candidates.

He notably led Republicans in pushing a contentious amendment to the House defense policy bill in 2023 to block a Biden-era Pentagon policy reimbursing troops who needed to travel across state lines to seek abortions following the reversal of Roe v. Wade protections. The proposal’s adoption resulted in Democrats opposing the defense bill. The amendment was later dropped from a final bill, but the Trump administration ultimately repealed the policy.

Trump ties: Jackson could leverage his close ties to Trump and the White House if he runs. He served as Trump's physician during the president's first term, as well as for former President Barack Obama before that.

Trump tapped Jackson to be Veterans Affairs secretary in 2018, but his nomination foundered amid allegations of unprofessional behavior during his tenure leading the White House medical unit, later detailed in a Pentagon inspector general investigation. The Navy later demoted him from rear admiral to captain in retirement.

Jackson cast the demotion as political retribution by the Biden administration. He was reinstated to the rank of one-star admiral last year by the Trump administration.