GOP Rep. Jim Jordan fell short in the first round of voting for House Speaker on Tuesday, leaving the lower chamber without a leader for at least another day after failing to secure the support needed. In a statement Monday, Jordan said he desired to “bring all Republicans together … our goal will be to empower our committees and committee chairs to take the lead on the House’s legislative work through regular order. This will bring us together to pass responsible legislation to fund our government and support our military.”
Jordan lost the support of 20 of his fellow Republicans in Tuesday’s election, winning just 200 votes and falling short of the 217 needed to prevail. Six Republicans voted for former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who was ousted on Oct. 3. Several others voted for Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who withdrew his name from consideration last week, and former Rep. Lee Zeldin, a Trump ally who didn’t run for reelection in 2022 when he ran for governor in New York. Democrats nominated Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who received 212 votes.
Jordan won an internal GOP contest for the nomination after House Majority Leader Steve Scalise bowed out of the race, but he faces an uphill battle in securing the 217 votes needed to win the gavel. Jordan told reporters at the Capitol that the next vote would take place Wednesday morning around 11 a.m. and said he had “good discussions” with his Republican colleagues: “We’re going to keep working, and we’re going to get to the votes.” Jordan said earlier that voting would continue “until we get a speaker,” and had hoped to wrap up the process by the end of the day to avoid a marathon of votes like those required to elect McCarthy in January, which took 15 rounds of voting over four days before he was finally elected.
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