Republican lawmakers on Friday removed Rep. Jim Jordan from being a candidate for House speaker after the presidential election. The bid to secure the gavel failed for the third time.
It is unclear who the Republicans will nominate next and whether their candidate will secure the votes needed to become speaker. The House has been leaderless for more than two weeks now, with Congress facing a deadline to avert a government shutdown and the White House seeking emergency security aid for Israel. I don’t see a clear path.
Jordan had insisted on staying in the race despite repeated failures to win the gavel, as support for his candidacy dwindled further with each subsequent House vote. On Friday, 25 Republicans voted against Jordan, who boasts an endorsement of former President Donald Trump. In the last vote, 22 people voted against him.
Republicans then met behind closed doors and reconsidered Jordan’s nomination following Jordan’s failure in the House. Republican lawmakers threw him out in what amounted to a vote of no confidence.
Republican lawmakers returned home over the weekend and are scheduled to reconvene Monday for a candidate forum at 6:30 p.m. ET. Interim Speaker Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., said he plans to bring the bill to the Republican conference for a vote at 9 a.m. Tuesday, with an in-house vote as early as the same day.
next?
Now that Rep. Jim Jordan is out, as of Friday afternoon, the following Republicans are running or considering running for speaker.
- Congressman Kevin Hahn, Oklahoma
- Congressman Jack Bergman, Michigan
- Congressman Mike Johnson, Louisiana
- Congressman Tom Emmer, Minnesota
- Congressman Byron Donald, Florida
- Congresswoman Jody Arrington, Texas
- Congressman Roger Williams, Texas
- Congressman Pete Sessions, Texas
- Congressman Austin Scott (Georgia)
- Congressman Dan Muser, Pennsylvania
Source: NBC News
Before missing the pick, Jordan was trying to hold on through the weekend. He hinted that it took former Speaker Kevin McCarthy 15 votes to secure the gavel.
“There have been several speaker votes in the past, and we all know that,” Jordan told reporters at a news conference Friday morning before the vote. “Our plan this weekend is to elect a Speaker of the House as quickly as possible to help the American people.”
Mr. McCarthy formally nominated Jordan in the House of Representatives on Friday. Lawmakers laughed as the California Republican spoke on the floor.
“It’s not an easy job to be a speaker, especially at this conference,” McCarthy said. “I’ve watched Jim spend his entire career fighting for freedom, and I know that no matter what happens, no matter what the odds are, he’s ready to do the job. I know.”
U.S. Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio speaks during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol on October 19, 2023 in Washington, DC.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds | AFP | Getty Images
Democratic House speaker candidate House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York on Friday called on moderate Republicans to abandon Jordan and work on a bipartisan solution to end the impasse.
“Let’s end our obsession with extremist Jim Jordan and work with Democrats to find a bipartisan path forward,” Jeffries told reporters. “We recognize that Jim Jordan is a clear and present danger to the American people, and we intend to stay here as long as necessary to end this national nightmare.” .”
Mr. Jordan’s failure on Friday came after Republicans abandoned a proposal to temporarily give Mr. McHenry oversight of the bill’s passage until the deeply divided party settled on a permanent replacement.
Democrats had expressed willingness to support McHenry. The interim chair received six Republican votes on Friday.
More than two weeks after a faction of eight Republicans led by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida ousted Mr. McCarthy, Republicans appear to have no viable path to electing a speaker.
Mr. Gaetz claimed on Friday that Republican holdouts were venting their anger over Mr. McCarthy’s ouster by blocking Mr. Jordan from becoming chairman.
On October 20, the House held its third vote at the U.S. Capitol to elevate Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) to Speaker of the House, and Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) state) will sit down with his fellow legislators. 2023, Washington DC.
Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images
“Eight of us have said we are willing to accept censure, sanctions, suspension, and expulsion from the Republican conference,” Gaetz told reporters. “If all these resistance groups need is a pound of our flesh, we’ll gladly give it to them to see them elect Jim Jordan as Speaker.”
Before Friday’s third vote, Rep. Bob Good of Virginia said Jordan would win if the House held a second vote, and the wall of opposition to Mr. McCarthy becoming speaker in January remained until the 12th vote. He pointed out that it didn’t break. Mr. Good was one of the Republicans who voted to expel Mr. McCarthy earlier this month.
A lack of leadership in the House of Representatives has prevented Congress from passing a spending bill, and the deadline to avoid a government shutdown is approaching Nov. 17.
Congress has also failed to address what President Joe Biden has described as an urgent national security priority. Biden said Thursday he would ask Congress to pass security aid to Israel, which is at war with Hamas, and to Kiev’s Ukraine, which is fighting the Russian invasion.
Don’t miss the next article on CNBC PRO.
