Jim Jordan: GOP must make case that First Amendment is 'under assault'

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PONTE VEDRA, Fla. – Rep. Jim Jordan said First Amendment rights are "under assault" by Democrats, telling Fox News that Republicans need to "make sure" that the average voter "fully understands" that before going to the polls for the midterm elections in November.

Jordan, R-Ohio, gave an interview to Fox News on the sidelines of the House Republican Issues Conference Wednesday.

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"Every single right we enjoy as Americans under the First Amendment has been under assault," Jordan said. "Your right to practice your faith, your right to assemble, your right to petition the government, freedom of press, freedom of speech — every single one."

Jordan, the top Republican on the House Judiciary Committee, told Fox News that voters need to "elect Republicans who are going to be there to protect their rights."

"What we have to do is highlight this, talk about it, and make sure that the country fully understands it before they go to the polls in 2022, and then in 2024," Jordan said.

Jordan also pointed to an "assault" on the Second Amendment, saying Democrats are "always talking about red flag laws and taking away people’s firearms."

Rep. Jim Jordan, a Republican from Ohio, speaks to the press in the Rayburn House Office building in Washington, D.C., June 4, 2021.  (Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

"The ATF is working on restricting your Second Amendment rights as we speak," Jordan said. "There are attacks on families and families’ right to control their kids' education, and then of course, attacks on fundamental issues, like packing the court."

Jordan also slammed Big Tech, calling for a "total overhaul" of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act – a rule that shields social media companies from being held liable for content on their platforms while allowing them to moderate that content.

"We need to continue to highlight every time Democrats infringe on Americans’ liberty," Jordan said. "You have to talk about it, you have to highlight it, you have to make sure the country fully understands it."

As for whether voters will buy into Republicans' messaging, Jordan said: "I think they’ve already figured it out."

Jordan pointed to Virginia’s gubernatorial election, when Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin was elected in a traditionally blue state.

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"I think that the country has figured it out, and they have also figured out that the Democrats are the part of the elite," Jordan said.

"The Democrats are quickly becoming the party of the super mega-wealthy who live on the coast, and the party of people who don’t work," Jordan said. "And we’re becoming the party of everybody else." 

Jordan pointed to comments made by Biden administration officials this month amid the surge in gas prices and record-high inflation – specifically Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, when he suggested Americans reeling from high gas prices instead purchase an electric vehicle.

Although the cost of electric vehicles has come down in recent years, they still remain out of reach for millions of Americans, with an average price hovering around $50,000.

Jordan slammed Democrats who criticize Americans for driving pickup trucks instead of clean vehicles.

"Come to Western Ohio, where people work in agriculture, third shift at the plant, get up every day, put on their tool belt and go build homes," Jordan said. "They drive pickup trucks, and this mindset, that, oh, they’re so much better than us hillbillies in flyover country just drives me nuts." 

Meanwhile, a new Fox News poll this week showed that Republican voters are slightly more likely than Democrats to say they are interested in the 2022 midterms and that the outcome is important to them. This could be a major advantage this fall, as the Republicans seek to build on a narrow 2-point edge in the generic congressional ballot. 

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The latest Fox News survey, released Wednesday, found that if the election for Congress were held today, 43% of registered voters would support the Republican candidate vs. 41% for the Democrat. 

Republicans have held a 1- to 4- point advantage since December.  By comparison, in 2018 the Democrats had the edge in Fox News polls by at least 5 points throughout the election year. 

Fox News' Dana Blanton and Victoria Balara contributed to this report.