Inside top Trump bulldog’s plan to save House GOP majority and defy history
Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, was jumping into the car with his wife on the way to the airport when he took a call from a Fox News Digital reporter on Thursday morning.
It’s a microcosm of what the House Judiciary Committee chairman’s recent weeks and months have been: a seemingly endless series of planes, trains and automobiles across the U.S. campaigning for fellow Republican lawmakers.
House Republicans’ senior leadership is crisscrossing the country raising money and support for their members to win Tuesday’s midterm elections. Jordan, though he’s not part of the trio, has much the same schedule.
"Sometimes they’re fundraisers, sometimes they’re rallies, sometimes they're both," Jordan said. "We're doing everything we can just to help our team win, because… if these Democrats get in there, my real concern, I gotta be honest, is what they're gonna try to do to the structure of our government."
MAPPED: TRUMP’S NONSTOP CAMPAIGN BLITZ SWEEPS KEY STATES
A source familiar with Jordan’s travel schedule said he’ll have gone to 115 districts across 34 states during this election cycle. That includes 19 consecutive days on the road in the lead-up to Nov. 3 in states such as Washington, Oregon, Texas, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois and South Carolina.
And despite the diverse areas, Jordan said his message is mostly the same: Republicans cut taxes, secured the border and Democrats will make it all worse.
"We understand things cost a little too much, and we're working on that. But remember, most of that's because of the Biden administration and their record inflation. We're bringing that inflation rate down, but you know, we still understand things, things cost too much, and we're gonna keep working on that," Jordan said.
TRUMP VOTERS REVEAL THEIR BIGGEST FEAR HEADING INTO MIDTERMS — AND IT'S NOT RISING PRICES
"But the big issue we talk about is, if these radicals that now control the Democrat Party, if they get control of the government, the crazy things they're gonna do are just frightening."
And because he’s not a member of leadership, he’s not afforded the same charter flights and police motorcades that come with that job.
While he’s had some private flights, most of Jordan’s travel has been comprised of commercial airlines and long drives between destinations — including sitting in traffic.
He said his favorite travel tunes include the greatest hits of late country star Glen Campbell.
But Jordan said he also uses much of that time texting or calling colleagues, asking how their races are going, and talking to staff about what issues to raise at his next event.
He’s also raised a significant amount of cash for their campaigns, donating $1.97 million to Republicans across the country and $2.65 million to the House GOP campaign arm.
10 DEMOCRAT-HELD HOUSE SEATS REPUBLICANS COULD FLIP TO SAVE THEIR MAJORITY
It comes as House Republicans fight an uphill battle to retain their majority, as multiple political forecasts show Democrats poised to take over the chamber.
Jordan’s volume of travel is notable for someone who is not in senior House leadership, but it’s not a surprise, given his years-long high profile.
"His celebrity status is very helpful," one House Republican previously told Fox News Digital. "When Jim Jordan comes to town for you, you put 300 butts in seats."
Another lawmaker shared a similar figure. Rep. Tim Moore, R-N.C., told Fox News Digital that Jordan reached out to him about doing an event in his district that wound up a success.
"We had a fundraiser in Gastonia and it was very well attended. A huge crowd, nearly 300 people there — raised a lot of money, a lot of excitement, a lot of enthusiasm, and so I appreciated him coming down to do that," Moore said. His district also saw a visit from House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., which Moore said also raised a significant sum.
Jordan has appeared alongside conservatives in deep red districts and moderates in battlegrounds — walking out to Survivor’s "Eye of the Tiger" for many of those appearances — painting a picture of party unity that’s a far cry from his roots as an anti-establishment rebel leading the House Freedom Caucus.
"It’s kind of a Jordan 2.0," the first House Republican said. "He’s just a great citizen of the conference."
A second House Republican told Fox News Digital that a wide range of members see Jordan as a "mentor." They said Jordan’s travels are a mix of Republicans asking him to come out and him extending those offers himself.
"Jim doesn't care if you're moderate or even if you have to lean left to keep your seat, you have to represent your people," the second House Republican said.
Asked whether he’s changed or the party has, Jordan said it was "the overall picture."
"Any differences that exist in the Republican Party are pretty small compared to the differences between Republicans and the left, the hard left, the radical left, which now controls the Democrat Party," Jordan said.
It has also inspired questions about what he wants out of it.
House Republicans and members of the media are widely expecting that Jordan is eyeing a bid for senior leadership after failing to clinch a position in the past.
If Republicans lose the majority, he’s expected to run for minority leader, where he’d be Trump’s top defender in Congress.
But Jordan himself has publicly dismissed those notions.
"I’m focused on… Tuesday," he told Fox News Digital. "The way you stop the radicals from making these structural changes to our constitutional form of government, these radical policy positions that they have, the way you stop them is at the ballot box, and that happens on Tuesday."
And then the conversation ended, because Jordan had to catch a flight to campaign with Republican candidates in Florida that night.