NORTH WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. — U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan is expected in the Lehigh Valley Monday to campaign on behalf of U.S. Senate candidate David McCormick ahead of the Pennsylvania primary.
Jordan, R-Ohio, is the special guest at the Sportsmen for Dave rally at Lehigh Valley Sporting Clays.
An 18-year veteran of the House and founding member of the far-right Freedom Caucus, Jordan has become one of the most prominent Republicans in Congress. This term, he's twice been considered for Speaker, though he was unable to unite the fractured Republican caucus around him last fall.
McCormick, a former hedge fund CEO and deputy national security adviser under former President George W. Bush, is campaigning on his financial background. From the campaign stump, he's been attacking President Joe Biden and his opponent, Democratic incumbent U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, for their handling of the economy and the southern border.
Defeating Casey may prove to be a tall order. Casey, the state's three-term senior senator, has some of the best name recognition in Pennsylvania and is the son of a popular former governor.
McCormick has strengthened his position with the Republican Party, however, and earned an endorsement from former President Donald Trump last week.
While McCormick may be better known for his financial acumen than Jordan's conservative populism, the two share a common background in wrestling. McCormick was a champion wrestler at West Point, and he made his wrestling background a feature of a recent political ad. Jordan is a former two-time NCAA wrestling champion. He later served as an assistant wrestling coach at Ohio State University, though his time there has been marred by accusations he turned a blind eye to sexual abuse. Jordan denies those charges.
The host Lehigh Valley Sporting Clays is owned by conservative donor William Bachenberg, a former tech executive who's become a growing figure in the Republican Party. Along with previously hosting Donald Trump. Jr. and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz at his business, he helped organize the April 13 rally for Trump in Schnecksville.
Bachenberg has also drawn attention for his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election. He was subpoenaed before by the U.S. House Jan. 6 Select Committee after he chaired a group of alternate Electoral College electors.
He has also been named in a $10 million federal lawsuit after he allegedly stiffed a Michigan cybersecurity firm on its bill after it failed to find evidence of voting machine fraud.
