Washington — In a surprising twist, House Republicans have made the decision to remove Rep. Jim Jordan as their nominee for speaker after he failed to secure a majority vote on three separate occasions this week. This unexpected turn of events has left the House without a leader for at least three more days, forcing the party to regroup and reassess their options.
During a closed-door meeting on Friday afternoon, members of the House Republican Conference cast their votes on whether Jordan should continue as the nominee. Of those present, 86 members supported Jordan, while 112 opposed him, according to insiders.
“I believed it was crucial for all of us to receive a definitive answer regarding my role,” Jordan expressed after the meeting. “So we posed the question to them, and they reached a different conclusion.”
The decision to drop Jordan came after an earlier vote on the House floor revealed a decline in support for him. In this round, Jordan received 194 votes, compared to 200 in the initial round on Tuesday and 199 in the second round on Wednesday. Additionally, the number of Republicans voting for alternative candidates increased across the three rounds, rising from 20, to 22, to 25 on Friday.
Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry, tasked with overseeing the process of selecting a permanent speaker amidst the growing turmoil, announced that Republicans will host another event for potential candidates on Monday. The aim is to conduct a floor vote on Tuesday morning.
“My objective is to address you in my capacity as Chairman of the Financial Services Committee by this time next Friday,” McHenry declared.
