[UPDATE]
Oct 13, 2023 3:36 PM CDT
After a whirlwind of political theater, Republicans have officially nominated Rep. Jim Jordan to be the next House speaker. The biggest question now is whether Jordan, a staunch ally of Donald Trump, can garner enough votes from the full House to secure the position, according to the Hill. Jordan emerged victorious in the GOP vote, defeating late entrant Austin Scott of Georgia. However, Jordan’s 124 ballots fall short of the 217 needed to become speaker. Just yesterday, Steve Scalise withdrew as “speaker designate” after realizing he lacked the support to reach the magic number of 217. The date for a full House vote remains unknown at this time.
Oct 13, 2023 12:47 PM CDT
Ten days after Rep. Kevin McCarthy was removed as speaker of the House, the Republican lawmakers are no closer to selecting a replacement. They have recently rejected a proposal to avoid a potentially chaotic vote on the House floor. According to Politico, GOP members voted against a plan that would require 217 members of the conference to agree on a nominee before proceeding with a vote on the house floor. On Wednesday, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise received a nomination in a 113-99 vote, only to withdraw on Thursday night when it became evident that he couldn’t secure the necessary 217 votes to be elected as speaker.
With Scalise out of the picture, Rep. Jim Jordan remains the sole GOP candidate for speaker. However, before the noon deadline on Friday, Rep. Austin Scott joined the race. In a tweet, the Georgia lawmaker stated, “I have filed to be Speaker of the House. We are in Washington to legislate, and I want to lead a House that functions in the best interest of the American people.” As Republicans convene closed-door meetings today, it seems unlikely that a floor vote will take place, as many lawmakers have already left town for the weekend. Only 209 of the 221 Republicans are currently present, leaving room for Democratic nominee Rep. Hakeem Jeffries to potentially secure the speakership if a floor vote is held.
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During a morning meeting, Rep. Tom McClintock proposed reinstating Kevin McCarthy as speaker, but the idea lacked sufficient support, as reported by the AP. McCarthy stated, “I just told them, no, let’s not do that. Let’s walk through this and have an election.” He voiced his endorsement of Jim Jordan for speaker and expressed confidence in Acting Speaker Rep. Patrick McHenry’s ability to address pressing matters like the crisis in Israel, as reported by Politico. (Read more House Republicans stories.)
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