Ex-House Republican Says ‘The Trump Endorsement Hurt’ Jim Jordan’s Speakership Bid

Former Rep. Mark Sanford (R-SC) offered an unusual perspective on next week’s speakership vote in the House by claiming Donald Trump’s endorsement of one of the candidates is actually counterproductive to his cause.

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) are vying to be the next speaker after Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was ousted this week. Trump endorsed Jordan for the role, which would seemingly give the pro-Trump attack dog the advantage going into the vote next week. However, Sanford presented a different perspective.

“Jim Jordan’s probably mellowed a bit from when he came into where he is now,” Sanford said on Friday’s CNN Primetime. “I think the Trump endorsement hurt him because at the end of the day, he already had the firebrand caucus. Now, all of a sudden, you’re making, you know, Republican moderates in New York – there are 11 of them – nervous about, ‘Oh my goodness, I gotta defend this in my district? That we have a speaker who’s been endorsed by Trump, who’s not popular in my district?’ I think it complicates things actually for Jordan, although that’s probably not the prevailing view.”

To become speaker of the House, a candidate must receive a majority of the votes cast for the position.

Trump’s endorsement of Jordan was not initially made by the former president himself. Instead, Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX) tweeted on Thursday night that Trump would endorse the Ohio lawmaker.

“Just had a great conversation with President Trump about the Speaker’s race,” Nehls wrote. “He is endorsing Jim Jordan, and I believe Congress should listen to the leader of our party. I fully support Jim Jordan for Speaker of the House.”

That announcement reportedly caught Trump and his inner circle “off guard.”

Watch above via CNN.