Jordan said he’s “proud to support” Davidson, and the country is at “a moment of magnitude, moment of significance.”
“We can’t just lollygag around anymore, we need people in Washington with the background and perspective, and frankly the attitude, that Warren has,” Jordan said before introducing Davidson.
After the press conference, Jordan said, “We’re at a moment in history where it’s about the right person, and Warren is the right guy for the situation.”
Jordan had been a critic of Boehner, including the former speaker’s 2008 plans to raise the debt ceiling. Jordan was one of 25 GOP lawmakers who did not vote for Boehner in January 2015 when he was re-elected as Speaker of the House by the U.S. House of Representatives.
Jordan, the chair of the House Freedom Caucus, serves on the House Oversight Committee, and has been involved in several high-profile congressional hearings, including on Benghazi, Planned Parenthood and IRS.
Jordan said these congressional seats are “critically important,” which is why he’s supporting Davidson, a former Army Ranger, in this race.
“In any open race, you want the conservative candidate who’s willing to come in and take a stand and do what they think (is right),” Jordan said. “In the Freedom Caucus, our mission statement talks about the countless number of families who think Washington has forgotten (them). So all I care about in these open seats are who’s going to get elected and who’s going to remember the families, who’s going to remember what they told them (the families) they’d do when they got the privilege to serve.”
Davidson called it “humbling” to get the support of Jordan, a standout high school and collegiate wrestler who “knows how to win.”
“People who say they stand for principles define it as things they are against,” Davidson said. “We are up for winning, we have winning solutions, we have things that will really make a difference — free markets, sound economic solutions that will really help us grow out of the situation we’re in, but also constrained by our Constitution.”
Davidson said he’s not looking to change careers by going to Washington, but rather, “I’m looking for a change in Washington.”
“We need to take action not just to stop things, not to be the ‘we’re no Democrats’ party, but to be the people who do what we said we were going to do,” he said.
This is Davidson's second announced endorsement. The first came on Jan. 12 when the Washington, D.C.-based Club for Growth endorsed the Troy businessman.
Jordan's endorsement makes him the second member of Congress to offer a public endorsement of any candidate in this congressional race. U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Dayton, announced his support for State Rep. Bill Beagle, R-Tipp City, less than a week after Boehner announced he would resign.
Davidson is one of 15 Republicans seeking to fill Boehner’s remaining term as well as win the next full term. Both efforts require two primary elections on March 15 — a special primary to be the party’s nominee for a special general election on June 7, and a general primary to be the party’s nominee for the full term to be elected on Nov. 8.
The winner will represent the conservative-leaning congressional district, which encompasses Butler, Clark, Darke, Miami and Preble Counties, and the southernmost portion of Mercer County.
Jordan said he and his campaign will financially support Davidson, as well as the House Freedom Caucus, whose members are among the most conservative of the House Republicans.
“We’re going to help in any way we can,” Jordan said.
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