Congressman Jim Jordan (R-OH) currently has a 97% rating on our Legislative Scorecard - the third most conservative Representative in the House. He was elected to the House in 2006 with 60% of the vote, and has received more than 65% of the vote in both of his re-election campaigns.
Rep. Jordan was born in Urbana, Ohio in 1964 and graduated from Graham High School in 1982. In high school, he was a four-time state wrestling champion and had a career record of 150-1. In 1986, he graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a bachelor's degree in Economics. While there, he was a two-time NCAA Division I wrestling champion and in 1985 defeated John Smith, who would go on to win two Olympic gold medals.
In 1994, Rep. Jordan was elected to the Ohio General Assembly, where he served three terms as the State Representative of the 85th Ohio House District. As an Assemblyman, he amended the state's Welfare Reform Bill to limit the amount of time an able-bodied adult could stay on welfare.
In 2000, he was elected to the Ohio Senate with 88% of the votes, and was re-elected in 2004. During his tenure in the state legislature, he was named Watchdog of the Treasury in 1996, 2000, and 2004; Outstanding Freshman Legislator in 1996; Friend of the Taxpayer in 1997; Pro-Life Legislator of the Year in 1998; and, Outstanding Legislator in 2004. He also received the Defender of Life Award from the Ohio Right to Life Society and the 2001 Leadership in Government Award from the Ohio Roundtable and Freedom Forum.
He has continued to fight for reform in the House of Representatives, introducing the Welfare Reform Act. This legislation builds on the 1996 reforms and his work in the Ohio State Legislature. He is one of the few lawmakers in Washington who has taken the good work he did for the people of Ohio and translated it into a big-picture agenda for Americans across the country.
Rep. Jordan currently sits on the Judiciary Committee and the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. In 2011, he was elected to chair the Republican Study Committee, which was instrumental in developing and promoting the Cut, Cap, and Balance debt reduction plan.
Rep. Jordan is a true fiscal conservative, and his belief that families and taxpayers know how best to spend their money - instead of the government - influences every decision he makes in Congress. He frequently stands up to his own party over tax hikes, and was an ardent opponent of last August's final debt limit deal.
Rep. Jordan is a strong supporter of families, and tries to spend as much time with his as possible. He and his wife, Polly, and their four children currently live in the same town where he was born and raised.