Instead, Jordan will run for re-election for his seat in the United States House, the spokesman said.
Jordan’s decision leaves what is expected to be a very crowded field of Republican candidates for next year’s primary without a clear favorite. Only a few of the possible Republican candidates include JD Vance, the author of “Hillbilly Elegy”, and Josh Mandel, who dropped out of the 2018 Republican primaries race to challenge Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose is also seriously considering a Senate nomination, along with at least four other Republican members of Congress: Deputies Steve Stivers, Brad Wenstrup, Mike Turner and Warren Davidson.
Although it is still the start of the race and no candidate is positioned to consolidate Republican voters, Jordan’s high profile as a prominent ally of Trump places him among the most visible Republican candidates. If Jordan had decided to run, he could potentially have cleared the Republican Party camp – or set up an initial test of Trump’s political position among Republican Party voters after the Capitol riots.
A Republican Party source familiar with Ohio policy said that Jane Timken, the Ohio Republican Party president, may enter the race for the Senate now that Jordan is not running. Timken, the source said, could get Trump’s endorsement, has his own money and the party establishment would like it.
Congressman Tim Ryan is among the Democrats ruminating on a race for Portman’s seat, which is expected to be one of the most fiercely contested as Republicans and Democrats struggle for control of the Senate 50-50 mid-term.
Jordan, one of the founders of House Freedom Caucus, helped topple then-Republican House Speaker John Boehner in 2015 and made a remote attempt to challenge McCarthy to lead Republicans in the House after the 2018 elections. Congress’ mandate, Jordan was the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee and an important ally of McCarthy while Democrats controlled the House.
Jordan played a key role in defending Trump during the investigation of former special adviser Robert Mueller and in Trump’s first impeachment in 2019. House Republicans added Jordan to the House Intelligence Committee temporarily to participate in public impeachment hearings, where the Ohio Republican questions quickly were a key part of the Republican Party’s efforts to dig holes in the testimony of witnesses who said Trump sought Ukraine’s help to dig up Joe Biden’s dirt.
Jordan’s closest ally in the House was then Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina, who became Trump’s chief of staff at the White House last year.
Jordan also played a role in supporting Trump’s false claims about widespread electoral fraud after the 2020 election, and he was one of the House Republicans who led the challenge of Biden’s victory on the House floor on January 6, when protesters interrupted the certification of votes of the Electoral College.
This story was updated with further developments on Thursday.
CNN’s Mike Warren contributed to this report.