The House Speaker's post remains in limbo after Jim Jordan announced on Thursday that he will not seek a third vote to ascend to the third-highest post in American government.
Jordan (R-Ohio), whose speakership bid failed in two separate votes on Tuesday and Wednesday, says he will back a temporary speaker while he works to shore up the votes he needs to win the position. However, his failure to win the speakership in the initial two votes opens the door for a north Louisiana congressman to seek the job.
Last week, Rep. Mike Johnson (R-Benton) announced that he would seek the speakership if Jordan ended his bid for the speakership. Now that Johnson has a path to the speakership, does he have a legitimate shot at winning it?
"He does have a shot. He's a bit of a dark horse, obviously," Dr. Pearson Cross, political science professor at the University of Louisiana at Monroe, said.
University of Louisiana political science professor Pearson Cross says Johnson, who represents the Shreveport-based Fourth Congressional District, has the leadership credentials and a conservative track record that makes him attractive to the Republican members of the House.
"He's known to be very, very conservative, but also, he's not a bomb thrower," Cross said. "He's one of those people who believes in working through with the majority."
Cross also notes that Johnson's quiet approach in the House will serve him well because he hasn't burned any bridges with his colleagues.
"He's really solid on conservative-type issues, but he's been low-key. He's been a person who works behind the scenes, and he's been seen as a person of some good judgment," Cross said. "He's the right age, the right experience. I think he could have a real shot."
