Western Reader
Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH) failed to secure enough votes to become the next speaker of the GOP-led House. In the first round of voting, Jordan fell short by 12 votes against Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), who was the Democrats’ nominee.
The final tally showed that Jordan received 200 votes, while Jeffries secured 212 votes. Surprisingly, 20 Republicans voted for other candidates within the GOP.
The results were announced by Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC), who is currently serving as speaker pro tempore. He declared that no speaker had been elected and adjourned the House into a recess.
🚨JUST IN: Speaker nominee Jim Jordan releases a statement after today’s Speaker vote.
Jim Jordan writes,
We must stop attacking each other and come together.
There’s too much at stake.
Let’s get back to working on the crisis at the southern border, inflation, and helping… pic.twitter.com/avmEnTbX8U
— Ian Jaeger (@IanJaeger29) October 18, 2023
This development comes after Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was removed from the speaker position earlier this month.
The urgency to find a replacement has increased due to the possibility of a government shutdown by mid-November without a spending deal and the need to address the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Jordan, who won the GOP nomination for speaker on his second attempt, had been actively trying to win over Republican holdouts who initially opposed his candidacy.
Despite his efforts, including releasing a “Dear Colleague” letter calling for GOP unity, he did not receive enough support from his party members in the first round of voting.
Among the Republicans who voted for other candidates in the first round were House Appropriations Chairwoman Kay Granger (R-TX) and Reps. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL), Don Bacon (R-NE), Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR), and others.
The House is expected to conduct another round of voting for the speaker position soon. This comes two weeks after lawmakers voted to remove McCarthy from the role he had held since the beginning of the year.
Despite this setback, Jordan, who is currently the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, remains a strong contender for the position, especially with an endorsement from former President Trump, the leading GOP candidate in the 2024 presidential contest.
The coming days will reveal whether Jordan can rally enough support to secure the speaker’s position in the subsequent rounds of voting.
This article appeared in StatesmanPost and has been published here with permission.
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