Washington (CNN) Rep. Jim Jordan, a leader in the conservative House Freedom Caucus and former chairman of the group, announced his run for speaker of the House of Representatives in a letter to colleagues Thursday.

"I plan to run for Speaker of the House to bring real changes to Congress," Jordan wrote in his letter.

Jordan's pitch was a more conservative vision for the House conference. He outlined his commitment to repeal the Affordable Care Act -- more commonly referred to as Obamacare -- once and for all, reform the welfare system, boost border security and make the tax cuts Congress passed in 2017 permanent.

"I believe we have given the American people reason to question our commitment to reform," Jordan wrote.

Jordan has long said he was interested in the post, but the news comes after he has faced questions about his time as an assistant coach at Ohio State University and whether he knew about alleged sexual abuse by a former Ohio State medical doctor who treated athletes there.

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