“That midterm-shellacked conference on Tuesday chose the indefatigable Mr. Jordan as their new leader. A slacker press corps greeted the results with its usual round of superficial headlines, most summing up the left’s disdain for the well-known Ohio Republican. Among the terms used to describe the incoming minority leader: “pugilistic,” “pugnacious,” “combative,” “brawler,” “attack dog,” “hard-line,” “bomb thrower,” “enforcer.” The coverage explained that with this choice Republicans were doubling down on fight, fight, fight.

Mr. Jordan is a wrestler, both literally and figuratively. Yet the headlines ignore what more he has become during nearly 20 years in Congress. The Jordan fighting spirit remains, and it will matter in a GOP Washington under a Democratic assault. But it’s Mr. Jordan’s principles and relationships—and his credibility—that offer the GOP its best shot at coming back from a midterm humiliation.

The competition itself was a surprisingly good moment for Republicans—a stark contrast with leadership elections stretching back a decade. In the wake of John Boehner’s 2015 resignation, Paul Ryan won with strong support, but only after a messy conservative rebellion quashed Kevin McCarthy’s bid. Mr. McCarthy’s run for minority leader in 2018 was contested, while his 2023 ”

Excerpt From

“Opinion | Jim Jordan’s MIGA Moment”

Kimberley A. Strassel

The Wall Street Journal