The US House of Representatives is currently without a leader, as Congressman Jim Jordan, the Republican nominee, continues to push for a third vote on his bid to become speaker. Despite facing opposition and growing frustration, Jordan remains determined to stay in the race.
On Thursday, the House Republican conference met behind closed doors to discuss the situation. However, no votes were scheduled at that time.
Jordan, a loyal supporter of former President Donald Trump, led the effort by congressional Republicans to overturn the 2020 presidential election. He now chairs the House judiciary committee. In the face of opposition to his nomination, Jordan has vowed to stay in the race.
Republican infighting has resulted in the speaker’s chair remaining vacant since the removal of Kevin McCarthy earlier this month. Initially, Steve Scalise, the No. 2 House Republican, was elected by the Republican conference as McCarthy’s replacement. However, he withdrew from consideration due to his inability to garner enough support from Jordan’s far-right allies. Jordan, who was the runner-up, then emerged as the second choice, but he lacked broad support.
The group of rebels opposing Jordan consists of political moderates and institutional pragmatists who have concerns about his approach to governance. Many of them represent districts that voted for Joe Biden in 2020, making Jordan’s far-right conservatism unpopular among their constituents. Additionally, some lawmakers are hesitant to support Jordan due to his reputation as a “legislative terrorist,” as described by former Republican Speaker John Boehner.
One conservative lawmaker, Ken Buck from Colorado, who was part of the faction that voted to remove McCarthy, stated that he would not support Jordan because of Jordan’s refusal to accept Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election.
The impasse has caused chaos within the Republican party and has paralyzed the House for over two weeks. To address the deadlock, a bipartisan group of lawmakers has proposed temporarily expanding the powers of the acting speaker, Patrick McHenry. This would allow the chamber to address urgent legislation.
Congresswoman Lori Chavez-DeRemer, a Republican from Oregon who opposed Jordan’s bid for speakership, wrote on X that it is time to empower the speaker pro tempore and resume the business of governing while they work towards finding a consensus candidate for speaker.
McHenry has expressed no desire to expand his authority and has focused solely on presiding over the election of the next speaker.
In a surprising turn of events, Jordan made a plea for party unity on Wednesday. However, his years of antagonizing Republican leaders have left him with few options. Jordan’s allies launched an aggressive pressure campaign that included harassing messages and threats of a primary challenge. The hope was that Jordan’s opponents would eventually relent and support him, but this tactic backfired.
Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks, a Republican from Iowa, initially voted for Jordan but then withdrew her support due to credible death threats and threatening calls she received. In total, 22 Republicans and all Democrats opposed Jordan on the latest vote.
Democrats unanimously backed their leader, Hakeem Jeffries, viewing Jordan’s involvement in Trump’s efforts to overturn the election as disqualifying.
Democrats have expressed willingness to negotiate with Republicans to elect a consensus candidate for speaker or empower a placeholder speaker. However, they expect concessions in return, which complicates any potential bipartisan deal.
Congress is facing several challenges that have significant consequences for the US and its allies. A funding deal must be reached within a month to avoid a federal shutdown, and requests for aid to Ukraine and Israel are expected from President Biden.
