Representative Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) faced another setback in his bid to become speaker of the House of Representatives on Friday. This time, his rejection came by the widest margin yet, as some of his fellow Republicans reported receiving threats after voting against him in previous rounds.
Jordan managed to secure only 194 votes from House Republicans, a decrease from 200 in his initial attempt and 199 in the second vote on Wednesday. All of these fell well short of the 217 votes required for victory when all representatives cast their votes.
Several House Republicans have raised concerns about their offices being flooded with calls from Jordan supporters, as part of a pressure campaign in his favor. Some members who voted against Jordan claim they or their families have been subjected to explicit threats.
Representative Don Bacon (R-Neb.) revealed that
his wife slept with a gun beside her bed
one night due to the threats he received after becoming one of Jordan’s most prominent opponents.
The House has been without a speaker since October 3, when eight Republicans joined House Democrats in removing Representative Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from the post.
Since then, Republicans have contemplated reinstalling McCarthy, nominated Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), only for him to withdraw, and now put forward Jordan. On Friday morning, Jordan appeared undeterred by the prospect of calling for votes repeatedly until he emerged victorious.
“Look, there have been multiple rounds of votes for speaker before. We are all aware of that,” he stated during a press conference. “My focus is to ensure we have a speaker as soon as possible, so we can start working for the American people.”
