Jim Jordan Faces Early Obstacle in House Speaker Pursuit
Conservative Republican Representative Jim Jordan encountered a setback in his pursuit of the House speaker’s position, falling short on the first ballot. This outcome led to a deadlock in the House, with 20 Republicans opposing the Ohio native. Jordan’s supporters had anticipated fewer dissenting votes. Following the vote, the House entered a recess, giving Jordan an opportunity to sway his opponents—comprising GOP moderates and allies of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Majority Leader Steve Scalise—into reconsidering their stance.
Among the 20 Republicans who voted against Jordan were notable figures like House Appropriations Chairwoman Kay Granger of Texas, Representative Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida, Representative Ken Buck of Colorado, along with a quartet of New York Republicans in competitive districts. This faction expressed their support through votes for McCarthy, Scalise, and even former New York GOP Representative Lee Zeldin.
This marks the second week of intense turmoil surrounding the speaker’s role, following McCarthy’s unprecedented removal. The slim margin in the House had precipitated McCarthy’s ousting by a group of eight GOP rebels. Now, a similarly sized faction within the House Republicans could hinder Jordan’s ascent. In January, 19 Republicans initially opposed McCarthy’s speakership bid before he ultimately secured the majority.
Jordan has not indicated the duration of his continued campaign for the speakership. Post the initial vote, Jordan engaged in discussions with fellow members in the GOP cloakroom adjacent to the House floor. “I feel really good,” Jordan told CNN moments before the vote. “Whatever it takes to get a speaker today.” Jordan and his allies believed they had made significant progress in recent days. The Ohio representative personally engaged skeptical lawmakers, while his allies outside Congress targeted the holdouts and warned of potential political repercussions for opposing a favored figure of the Trump-aligned GOP base.
Until a speaker is selected, the House remains in a legislative standstill, unable to address critical matters such as providing additional military aid to Israel or securing government funding. This urgency arises from McCarthy’s six-week stopgap spending agreement that triggered his removal.
Should a subsequent vote occur, at least one of Jordan’s opponents has indicated a potential shift in allegiance. However, others may choose not to align with the Ohio representative. Representative Doug LaMalfa of California, a staunch McCarthy supporter, affirmed that he would back Jordan in a second ballot. “I’m not against him,” LaMalfa stated regarding Jordan. “I became for Kevin McCarthy the entire time and I notion the procedure has been terrible, what has passed off to him and the matters that he’s been held up for. So I’m voting for Jim Jordan because he’s a good guy. He’s done good work on committee. And we want to transport ahead with this vicinity today, and get our paintings done.”
Some, however, remain resolute in their opposition. Representative Carlos Gimenez of Florida, who sided with McCarthy, asserted he would never support Jordan but might consider other candidates. “I think we need to move forward as a conference and find somebody that we can all coalesce around,” Gimenez emphasized.
A faction of centrist New York Republicans, pivotal in tipping the House majority towards the GOP, privately deliberated their speaker vote for weeks. As they weighed their support for Jordan, concerns over his votes against critical New York priorities, including aid for superstorm Sandy and 9/11 healthcare funding, gave them pause. In the end, four voted against Jordan.
Jordan’s adversaries voiced their discontent with the House proceedings. Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska, who cast his vote for McCarthy in the initial ballot, voiced his concerns over the violation of rules within their conference. “You don’t have a process where I play by the rules and these other people can’t and then they get what they want. That’s not American. Americans want fair play and rule of law.”
Diaz-Balart, who supported Scalise, reminded that an election had taken place and the victor was the candidate he endorsed. Meanwhile, House Democrats criticized the Republicans’ choice of Jordan as the potential next speaker. Representative Jim McGovern, a Massachusetts Democrat, decried Jordan’s nomination, particularly due to his role in the events of January 6.
Jordan’s proponents implored the conference to unite behind him, even those who previously opposed McCarthy and Scalise. Representative Scott Perry of Pennsylvania urged understanding, emphasizing that Jordan had supported both McCarthy and Scalise. “Feelings are hurt,” Perry acknowledged, “But Jim didn’t have something to do with that. So, they need to assign their ire, if you will, to those who they think deserve it – but certainly not Jim Jordan.”
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