Welcome to the revenge of the Republicans you've never heard of before

Oct 19, 2023, 12:57 PM PDT

Rep. Austin Scott of Georgia came out of the woodwork and won 81 votes against Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio last week — despite not campaigning at all for the job.

Rep. Jim Jordan's speakership bid has been thwarted — for now.
It's the result of an unexpected revolt by Republicans you probably never hear about.
And it's a stunning turnaround for a party long driven by its loudest and most bombastic voices.

Kevin McCarthy's sudden ouster from the speakership was initiated by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, one of the most bombastic and media-hungry Republicans in Congress.

But two weeks later, Gaetz's preferred successor — Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio — is having his own speakership ambitions thwarted in a humiliating fashion by Republican holdouts who are suspicious of his tactics.

Call it the revenge of the Republicans you've never heard of — the ones who aren't regularly featured on Fox News, who don't have massive social media followings, and who aren't known for styling themselves as right-wing crusaders.

They're lawmakers facing competitive re-election races.
They're members of the old guard.
And they were stalwart allies of McCarthy when he was speaker.

They are what Gaetz has derisively deemed "NPCs" — an insult and video game reference that means "non-playable character" — due to their mild tempers and avoidance of bombast.

For now, Jordan's campaign to become House speaker has hit the skids, and the Ohio Republican endorsed the idea of temporarily granting more power to Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry — a mild-mannered Republican from North Carolina — though that plan also appears to be flailing.
If Jordan's speakership bid ultimately fails, it will signify a stunning turnaround for a party that's been in thrall to its loudest voices since the ascent of Donald Trump in 2015. . ."