Byron Donalds picks up Jordan no-vote endorsement

Rep. Byron Donald (R-Fla.), now contending to be Speaker of the House of Representatives, picked up a seemingly strange endorsement. Over the weekend, Rep. Carlos Giménez (R-Fla.), one of the twenty-five “no” votes against Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), endorsed Donalds.

Byron Donalds and his latest endorsement

Rep. Giménez explained his reasoning in posts to X and in an interview with Fox News. This X post carries the segment:

Jim Hoft at The Gateway Pundit has a partial transcript of Rep. Giménez’ remarks:

He’s a America first, a real conservative, somebody that I can back. Obviously, I’ve already said that he’s a friend. He’s also from my neighboring district. He’s fellow Floridian, also a classmate. And I was honored to endorse him and actually nominate him for conference chair. I think you’ll be a great speaker, somebody that can unify all factions in the Republican Party. And look, it’s not like we have liberals and moderates. We actually have conservatives and more conservatives, and it’s within that range. But you need to unify our party and get moving forward. I think you’d be a great national figure. I think you’d be a great fundraiser for us. And he understands the need for the Republican Party to maintain its majority and actually increase its majority. So I’ll be happy to endorse and vote for Byron.

In fact Byron Donalds had the House Freedom Caucus’ support to become Speaker in January, according to Fox News Digital.

Oddly enough, Rep. Giménez did not vote for Donalds in the most recent House vote. That honor fell to fellow Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.).

On Fox and Friends, Donalds laid out his priorities as Speaker:

1. Secure the U.S.-Mexican border,
2. Expand the Republican majority in elections to come, and
3. Unite the House Republican Conference, now badly fractured.

Upon further questioning, he insisted that White House policies must change before the White House gets any more money. He also demanded a statement of how the war in Ukraine will end, before that country receives any further funding.

In addition, he pledged to release all remaining surveillance and other footage from the January 6 event. He also came out four-square for Israel, saying they had suffered the attack and deserve American support. That support would consist primarily of re-imposing sanctions on Iran, and money for munitions for Israel.

Byron Donalds criticized then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) sharply over the Continuing Resolution, saying Republicans “didn’t get anything.” Nevertheless, Donalds had proposed something like it a month ago – as Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) noted.

What next?

The House Republican Conference will hold a Candidate Forum today. Byron Donalds is one of nine Representatives now in contention.