More than 50 Republicans voted against supporting Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan as the party’s new speaker nominee on the House floor on Friday, leaving the party still in shambles as it has been unable to elect a speaker in the ten days following the historic removal of Kevin McCarthy.
After the party votes on Friday, Jordan sent the conference home for the weekend, and MPs claimed he intended to use the time to talk with his opponents and try to win them over.
The same math error that ruined the bid of Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who initially won the GOP speaker designation but abruptly withdrew out of the contest Thursday evening after confronting a determined bloc of opposition, is what is preventing Jordan from being elected speaker on the floor.
The GOP conference has effectively frozen the House by refusing to unite behind a candidate at a time when serious domestic and international crises, such as Israel’s war against Hamas and a probable government shutdown in mid-November, loom.
If all members participate in the vote for speaker, Jordan or any other Republican contender can only afford to lose four GOP votes because a majority of the entire House is necessary to win the speaker vote.
Jordan’s supporters expressed optimism that he could still win, but the Ohio Republican has a significant uphill battle.
In a 124-81 vote on Friday, the House GOP conference chose Jordan as its newest speaker-designate over Georgia GOP Rep. Austin Scott, who made an unexpected last-minute run. Compared to the vote on Wednesday, when Scalise defeated Jordan, 113-99, Jordan only picked up 25 supporters.
In an effort to lessen his opposition, Jordan then asked for a second vote, asking the members whether they would back him on the floor. The outcome of that vote, which was conducted by secret ballot, was 152-55, making clear the difficult path ahead for Jordan’s attempt to become speaker.
Jordan has established himself as a devoted supporter of Donald Trump and received the former president’s support in his candidacy for the speakership. The influential House Judiciary Committee’s powerful chairman is a Republican from Ohio.
