Jim Jordan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jim Jordan
Official portrait, 2015
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio's 4th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2007
Preceded by	Mike Oxley
Committee positions Chair of the House Judiciary Committee Incumbent Assumed office January 3, 2023 Preceded by Jerry Nadler Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee In office March 12, 2020 – January 3, 2023 Preceded by Doug Collins Succeeded by Jerry Nadler Ranking Member of the House Oversight Committee In office March 31, 2020 – June 29, 2020 Preceded by Mark Meadows Succeeded by James Comer In office January 3, 2019 – March 12, 2020 Preceded by Elijah Cummings Succeeded by Mark Meadows
Chair of the House Freedom Caucus
In office October 1, 2015 – January 3, 2017
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Mark Meadows
Member of the Ohio Senate from the 12th district
In office January 3, 2001 – December 31, 2006
Preceded by	Robert R. Cupp
Succeeded by	Keith Faber
Member of the Ohio House of Representatives from the 85th district
In office January 3, 1995 – December 31, 2000
Preceded by	Jim Davis
Succeeded by	Derrick Seaver
Personal details
Born	James Daniel Jordan (1964-02-17) February 17, 1964 (age 61) Troy, Ohio, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Polly Jordan ​ (m. 1985)​
Children	4
Education	University of Wisconsin–Madison (BS) Ohio State University (MA) Capital University (JD)
Awards	Presidential Medal of Freedom (2021) Two-time NCAA National Champion (wrestling)

James Daniel Jordan (born February 17, 1964), known as Jim Jordan, is an American politician. He has been a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Ohio since 2007. He belongs to the Republican Party.

Before becoming a politician, Jordan was a successful wrestler and coach. He won two national championships in college wrestling. In Congress, he helped start the House Freedom Caucus, a group of conservative lawmakers. He was their first leader from 2015 to 2017. Jordan is known for being a strong supporter of former President Donald Trump.

Early Life and Education

Jim Jordan was born in Troy, Ohio, and grew up in Champaign County, Ohio. He went to Graham High School, where he was a star wrestler. He won state championships every year and had an amazing record of 156 wins and only 1 loss.

After high school, he went to the University of Wisconsin–Madison. There, he became a two-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion. He won the 1985 and 1986 NCAA championships in the 134-pound weight class. He earned a bachelor's degree in economics in 1986.

Jordan later earned a master's degree in education from Ohio State University. He also received a law degree (Juris Doctor) from Capital University Law School.

Early Career in Ohio

From 1987 to 1995, Jordan worked as an assistant coach for the wrestling team at Ohio State University.

In November 1994, he was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives. He served three terms, representing the 85th Ohio House district.

In 2000, Jordan was elected to the Ohio Senate. He won again in 2004.

Serving in the U.S. House

Jim Jordan represents Ohio's 4th congressional district. This district includes cities like Lima, Mansfield, Marysville, and Marion. It also covers parts of Columbus.

Becoming a Representative

Jordan first ran for Congress in 2006. He won the Republican primary after the long-serving representative, Mike Oxley, decided to retire. Jordan then won the main election with 60% of the votes.

He has been reelected many times since then, including in 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2024.

Key Roles and Actions

Jordan led the Republican Study Committee during the 112th Congress. This group works to promote conservative ideas in Congress. During the 2013 US government shutdown, he was a key figure. A government shutdown happens when Congress and the President cannot agree on how to fund the government.

He has also been a candidate for Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. The Speaker is the leader of the House of Representatives. Jordan ran for this position in 2018 and again in 2023.

Jordan was the top Republican on the House Oversight Committee from 2019 to 2020. He then became the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee. In 2023, he became the chairman of the Judiciary Committee.

Mark Zuckerberg's letter to Jim Jordan, where he talks about content moderation.

As chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Jordan received a letter from Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook and Instagram. In the letter, Zuckerberg expressed regret about some actions his company took regarding content on their platforms. He mentioned that the Biden White House had "pressured" Meta (Facebook's parent company) to "censor" certain content. Republicans saw this letter as a victory for freedom of speech.

The Freedom Caucus

In 2015, Jordan and eight other members of Congress started the House Freedom Caucus. This group of conservative lawmakers works to promote limited government. Jordan was the first leader of this group. The Freedom Caucus played a role in the retirement of Speaker John Boehner in 2015.

Bills and Votes

As of 2023, Jim Jordan has served in the House for over 16 years. He has not yet sponsored a bill that has become law.

In 2014, Jordan introduced a resolution asking for a special investigation into the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). This was because some conservative groups felt they were unfairly targeted.

In 2017, Jordan criticized the American Health Care Act, a Republican plan to replace the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). He called it "Obamacare Lite." However, he later voted to pass a changed version of the bill.

In 2018, Jordan and another representative, Mark Meadows, tried to get the Department of Justice to provide documents related to investigations into the 2016 election. They also tried to impeach (formally accuse) Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

Jordan was one of only 60 members of Congress who voted against a resolution condemning President Trump's decision to remove U.S. troops from Syria in 2019.

Speaker Elections in 2023

In January 2023, during the election for Speaker of the House, Jordan supported Kevin McCarthy. However, some other representatives voted for Jordan instead of McCarthy. Jordan received votes in several rounds, which meant McCarthy could not win easily.

After McCarthy was later removed as Speaker in October 2023, Jordan decided to run for the position himself. He was supported by Donald Trump. Jordan became the Republican nominee for Speaker after Steve Scalise withdrew. However, Jordan failed to win enough votes in three rounds of voting. After his third defeat, his Republican colleagues decided to remove his nomination.

Committee Work

Jim Jordan serves on several important committees in the House of Representatives:

• Committee on the Judiciary (He is the chairman)
  • Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government (He is the chairman)
• Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
• House Select Committee on the Events Surrounding the 2012 Terrorist Attack in Benghazi (He served on this committee from 2014–2016)

Political Views

The Dayton Daily News newspaper has described Jim Jordan as one of the most conservative members of Congress.

Disinformation Research

As chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Jordan has been looking into groups that study disinformation. These groups include researchers at universities and other organizations. Jordan believes these groups worked with the government to control what people could say online. He claims they censored conservative speech. The research groups say they have the right to study social media and disinformation.

Health Care

Jordan is against the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. He believes it should be canceled. He also opposes rules that require people to get vaccines, calling them "un-American."

Environment

In 2008, Jordan was the first member of Congress to sign a pledge called "No Climate Tax." This pledge was created by a conservative group called Americans for Prosperity.

In Congress, Jordan has voted to allow oil drilling in new areas. He has also voted against rules that would limit greenhouse gases, which are gases that contribute to global warming. He has voted against tax credits for renewable energy and energy saving.

Technology Policy

Jordan has criticized large technology companies, sometimes called "Big Tech." However, he does not support breaking up these companies using antitrust laws.

Taxes

When he was in the Ohio Senate, Jordan supported a change to the state's constitution. This change would have required people to vote on any new taxes or increases in spending over certain limits.

Foreign Policy

Jordan was one of 60 Republicans who did not support condemning President Trump's decision to remove U.S. troops from Syria in 2019. He also voted to end U.S. assistance to the war in Yemen.

In 2021, Jordan was one of 49 House Republicans who voted to cancel a law that allowed military force against Iraq. In 2023, he voted to require President Joe Biden to remove U.S. troops from Syria within 180 days.

LGBT Rights

In 2015, Jordan supported a plan to change the U.S. Constitution to ban same-sex marriage. He also disagreed with the Supreme Court's decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which said that bans on same-sex marriage were against the Constitution.

Personal Life

Jim Jordan and his wife, Polly, live near Urbana, Ohio. They met through Polly's brothers, who wrestled with Jordan. Polly and Jim started dating when they were teenagers. They have four children and two grandchildren. Jordan's son-in-law, Jarrod Uthoff, is a professional basketball player.

Images for kids

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  Jim Jordan with Vice President Mike Pence

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  Jordan speaking at the 2016 Conservative Political Action Conference.