Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, was selected by House Republicans as their nominee for the position of speaker of the House of Representatives. This decision came after Rep. Steve Scalise, who faced opposition from hard-right members of the GOP, withdrew his candidacy. Jordan, who currently chairs the Judiciary Committee, won the closed-door internal party vote with a tally of 124 to 81, defeating Rep. Austin Scott of Georgia.
However, a second secret ballot vote was conducted to assess support for Jordan now that he became the nominee. In this vote, Jordan received 152 votes in favor and 55 against, falling short of the 217 needed for a formal vote on the House floor.
Lawmakers adjourned for the weekend after the second vote, without a clear plan for the next steps. Rep. Mark Alford, R-Texas, stated that a floor vote on Jordan’s speakership would take place on Tuesday, but the schedule for the following week remained uncertain.
Scalise, the current GOP majority leader, withdrew his nomination for speaker on Thursday evening when it became evident that he did not have the necessary GOP votes to secure the position in a floor vote.
Speaking about the lack of unity within the conference, Scalise said, “Our conference still has to come together and is not there. There are still some people that have their own agendas. And it was very clear we have to have everybody put their agendas on the side and focus on what this country needs.”
The path to choosing a new speaker has been tumultuous. Initially, House Republicans nominated Scalise, who narrowly defeated Jordan in a closed-door vote of 113 to 99. Subsequently, Jordan endorsed Scalise and urged his fellow Republican lawmakers to do the same. However, some GOP members insisted on voting for Jordan on the House floor, effectively eliminating Scalise’s chances.
The speaker’s position has been vacant for over a week since a group of eight Republicans, led by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, facilitated the removal of Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California.
This leadership vacuum has paralyzed the House, preventing progress on urgent matters such as President Joe Biden’s call for lawmakers to take immediate action on security assistance for Israel following the Hamas terrorist attacks, as well as assistance for Ukraine in its counteroffensive against Russia.
Moreover, Congress must pass spending legislation by November 17 to avert a government shutdown.
Various plans were proposed by GOP lawmakers to resolve the deadlock, but it remains uncertain if any of these proposals can garner the necessary votes for implementation. Rep. Dan Meuser of Pennsylvania intends to present a Scalise-Jordan leadership team as one option, while Rep. Tom McClintock of California advocates for the reinstatement of McCarthy, who faced 15 votes before his election as speaker in January.
Other Republican lawmakers criticized Gaetz and the seven colleagues who orchestrated McCarthy’s removal through a no-confidence vote. Democrats chose not to intervene, resulting in McCarthy’s downfall.
“Our conference never voted to oust our speaker. Eight of our ‘morally superior’ colleagues made that decision for us,” McClintock remarked.
Rep. Mike Lawler of New York described McCarthy’s ouster as the “single most destructive thing” he has witnessed in politics.
— CNBC’s Emily Wilkins contributed reporting from Washington, D.C.
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