What happens next in the race for House speaker after Jim Jordan lost the second vote?
Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio failed to secure sufficient votes for a second time to become Speaker of the House. With support for him dwindling, what’s next?
Congress adjourned on Wednesday after Republican Jim Jordan, in a second round of voting held to elect a new Speaker of the House, failed to garner the 217 votes necessary. In fact, more GOP members withheld their vote for the outspoken Representative from Ohio than in the first round the day before.
In the end, 22 Republicans offered the name of someone other than Jordan, leaving him with 199 supporting his bid and all 212 Democratic votes going to Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Jordan, who is an ardent supporter of Donald Trump and has his backing, says that he expects to make another go of it on Thursday despite faltering support for his bid.
Meanwhile, potential alternatives are being sought to give leadership to the House which has been without a Speaker for over two weeks. This has left the lower chamber unable to function and react to events unfolding in the Middle East, approve funding for Ukraine along with moving forward on appropriation legislation to avoid a government shutdown mid-November.
What happens next in the race for House speaker after Jim Jordan lost the second vote?
The last time the House voted to elect a Speaker, which was at the start of the 118th Congress in January, it took four days and 15 rounds of voting before Kevin McCarthy was able to claim the gavel. However, in the last round of voting on Wednesday, Jordan secured fewer votes than McCarthy did in any of the rounds of voting nine months ago.
The Representative from Ohio and founder of the Freedom Caucus, the hard-right wing of the GOP, will attempt to sway more of his colleagues to give him their support when they vote again. However, his supporters’ strong-arm tactics have turned some of them off like flooding the phone lines of those who oppose him, including with “credible” death threats.
“Intimidation and threats will not change my position,” posted Republican Rep. Kay Granger of Texas, who has voted against Jordan twice.
House contemplates alternatives to Jim Jordan as Speaker
Republicans control the House by a narrow 221 to 212 majority meaning that any GOP hopeful to be Speaker can only lose four members of the fractious caucus in order to win the gavel. The inability of the party to unite behind one single candidate has Republicans considering alternative options such as giving more power to ‘Speaker pro tempore’ while they sort things out.
“I don’t see the outcome changing,” said GOP Rep. Mike Lawler of New York. “We need to empower Patrick McHenry to serve as temporary speaker so that we can do the work of the American people.”
Rep. McHenry, who was designated to be the Speaker pro tempore by the former Speaker, took up the gavel upon McCarthy’s ouster by a small group of hardline Republicans. The position, which was created in 2003 in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, is meant to be a temporary place-holder whose authority isn’t clearly defined.
By formally recognizing McHenry as Speaker pro tempore it would empower him to bring legislation to the floor for a vote. The Democrats could be onboard with the idea, but they would most likely demand concessions. “I have respect for Patrick McHenry. I think he is respected on our side of the aisle,” said Minority Leader Jeffries.