Jim Jordan fails again in US House speaker bid as Republicans eye backup
plan
Send a link to a friend
[October 19, 2023]
By David Morgan, Moira Warburton and Katharine Jackson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Outspoken conservative Jim Jordan sought more time
to bolster his faltering bid for the top job in the U.S. House of
Representatives after losing a second vote on Wednesday, while his
fellow Republicans considered a backup option for the leaderless
chamber.
Jordan, who was endorsed by Donald Trump, for a second straight day fell
short of the 217 votes needed to fill the vacant speaker's chair, as 22
Republicans and all 212 Democrats voted against him.
He said he would not make another attempt until Thursday at the
earliest. "I think there will be a vote tomorrow," he told reporters.
That would be the third consecutive day of voting on Jordan's bid,
ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy took four days - and 15 rounds of voting -
to win the gavel in January.
The House is now in its 16th day without a leader, which has left
Congress unable to respond to the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine,
or to take action to head off a partial government shutdown which will
begin in a month without congressional action.
Jordan's vote total of 199 was less than the 200 Republican votes he
secured on Tuesday. That is also fewer votes than McCarthy secured in
any of the rounds of voting he endured over before being elected
speaker.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Oct/19/images/ads/current/ldn_sda_NILA_012823.png)
Republicans who control the chamber by a narrow 221-212 majority have
been unable to unite behind a speaker candidate since a small faction of
them ousted McCarthy on Oct. 3. Before that, they took Washington to the
brink of a government shutdown and the edge of default.
"It's just painfully obvious that what a lot of our people want to do we
can't do," said Republican Representative Steve Womack, who voted
against Jordan. "We'd like to elect a speaker and we can't even do
that."
Other Republicans said it was time to consider a fallback option that
would give increased power to Representative Patrick McHenry, who has
been temporarily filling the speaker's chair.
"I don’t see the outcome changing," Representative Mike Lawler told
reporters. "We need to empower Patrick McHenry to serve as temporary
speaker so that we can do the work of the American people."
That idea has been floated by Republicans and Democrats, as well as two
former Republican speakers, Newt Gingrich and John Boehner.
It could also buy more time for Jordan to line up support for the job
after that point.
Democrats, whose support would likely be crucial, have made clear they
want Jordan, a driving force behind multiple government shutdowns, out
of the picture.
"Our preference is to reopen the House in a bipartisan way so we can
govern in an enlightened way, moving forward," House Democratic Leader
Hakeem Jeffries said.
One small sign of the uncertainty plaguing the Republicans played out in
a Capitol conference room, where staff had ordered pizza for a party
meeting that never occurred, leaving them to hand it out to workers.
[to top of second column]
|
![](../images/101923PIX/news_s8.jpg)
U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), currently the top contender in the race
to be the next Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, arrives
at the office of House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) for meetings
to try to find the remaining votes to get Jordan elected the next
Speaker after he failed to win the gavel in the first round of
voting, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S., October 18, 2023.
REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2019/Sep/05/images/ads/current/stclara_lda_SPONSOR_090519.png)
REPUBLICAN OPPONENTS
Jordan's supporters say he would be an effective advocate for
advancing conservative priorities in Washington, where Democrats
control the White House and the Senate.
"I don't think anybody in here on any issue of any substance would
have to guess where Jim Jordan is going to stand. He doesn't
deceive. He doesn't dissemble. He simply tells you straight up,"
Republican Representative Tom Cole said as he nominated Jordan for
speaker ahead of the vote.
But other Republicans have voted against him for a variety of
reasons, including his positions on taxes, spending and disaster
aid, and the strong-arm tactics of his supporters.
"Intimidation and threats will not change my position," Republican
Representative Kay Granger, who oversees spending legislation as
chair of the Appropriations Committee, said on social media after
voting twice against Jordan.
New Republican alternatives aside from McHenry could also emerge if
Jordan does not pick up support. Republicans who opposed Jordan
voted for 10 different candidates, including Boehner and two others
who no longer serve in Congress.
Jordan, a former wrestling coach, is a close ally of former
President Trump and a founder of the far-right House Freedom Caucus.
Unlike previous House leaders, who gained influence by raising money
and building broad coalitions, Jordan has made his name as a vocal
leader of the party's hard right, tangling with Democrats and
Republicans alike.
He helped drive Republican Boehner into retirement in 2015 and
advocated for government shutdowns in 2013 and 2018.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Oct/19/images/ads/current/chicagost_sda_FOOTBALL_2023.png)
A congressional investigation found that Jordan was a "significant
player" in Trump's attempts to overturn Democrat Joe Biden's 2020
election win.
As chair of the House Judiciary Committee, he has led investigations
into Biden's administration and is a driving force in an impeachment
inquiry of the president that Democrats say is baseless.
(Reporting by David Morgan, Moira Warburton and Katharine Jackson,
additional reporting by Makini Brice and Susan Heavey; writing by
Andy Sullivan; Editing by Scott Malone, Nick Zieminski and Grant
McCool)
[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]This material
may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Oct/19/images/ads/current/charrons_bch_2022.png) |