- House GOP members appear to be split over how to move the speaker election forward as Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan’s bid has failed three times on the floor.
- Some Republicans are losing hope over Jordan’s bid and others want to keep voting, they told reporters following the third failed round.
- “We’re not going to get to Jordan winning. Seven say that they will never vote for him. You could be speaker in three years,” Texas Rep. Pat Fallon told reporters. “We’re at the end of the runway. It’s a tough decision. He’s going to have to decide to continue or bow out.”
House Republicans are split over how to proceed in electing a speaker after the third round of voting for Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan failed on Friday.
Jordan didn’t receive the 214 votes necessary to secure the gavel, with 25 Republicans voting against him — an additional three from the second round — and all Democrats backing House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries for the role. Some GOP members who supported Jordan on the floor appear to be losing hope, while others insist they keep voting on the chairman, according to comments following the votes.
“We’re not going to get to Jordan winning. Seven say that they will never vote for him. You could be speaker in three years,” Texas Rep. Pat Fallon told reporters. “We’re at the end of the runway. It’s a tough decision. He’s going to have to decide to continue or bow out.”
Fallon expressed doubt after the third failed vote and told reporters he doesn’t “see a path” because “the votes just aren’t there.”
North Carolina Rep. Virginia Foxx told the DCNF she doesn’t “know if there’ll be any more rounds,” and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie said that he has “a long list of demands,” but that “we need to get another speaker.”
Other House Republicans want to continue holding votes for Jordan and will continue to support the chairman.
“Kevin McCarthy lost votes for 9 rounds. Jordan has only lost votes on three rounds. Jordan still has a path to victory,” Virginia Rep. Bob Good told reporters. “We need to keep voting.”
Texas Rep. Michael Cloud told the DCNF that he will support Jordan, but that “you’ll have to ask him how many rounds he wants to go.” Texas Rep. Jody Arrington will support Jordan “as long as he’s in the race,” he told reporters.
GOP Reps. Ken Buck of Colorado, Don Bacon of Nebraska, Vern Buchanan of Florida, Lori Chavez-DeRemer of Oregon, Anthony D’Esposito of New York, Mario Díaz-Balart of Florida, Jake Ellzey of Texas, Drew Ferguson of Georgia, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Andrew Garbarino of New York, Carlos Giménez of Florida, Tony Gonzales of Texas and Kay Granger of Texas all voted against Jordan.
Thomas Kean of New Jersey, John James of Michigan, Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania, Jen Kiggans of Virginia, Nick LaLota of New York, Mike Lawler of New York, Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa, Marcus Molinaro of New York, John Rutherford of Florida, Mike Simpson of Idaho, Pete Stauber of Minnesota and Steve Womack of Arkansas also didn’t back him.
“We don’t want anything. We don’t want a committee. It’s difficult for him to convince us. 22 are really solid,” Gimenez told reporters following the vote. “I’ve been backing McCarthy but I expect that we’ll get someone else. It won’t be Jordan and it may not be Scalise or McCarthy, but I’m confident I’ll end up voting for the speaker of the House.”
“It’s time to move on. He needs to drop out. It’s time to step down. McHenry doesn’t want it but he’s be great. We have lots of people, Cole, Hern, Jackson, they’d be great. Someone with less baggage,” Bacon told reporters following the vote.
The eight Republicans who voted to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Oct. 3 — Burchett, Good, Buck, Matt Gaetz of Florida, Matt Rosendale of Montana, Nancy Mace of South Carolina, Andy Biggs of Arizona and Eli Crane of Arizona — released a joint letter emphasizing their support for Jordan following the third failed vote.
“If the holdouts who refuse to vote for Speaker-Designate Jim Jordan would be willing to ‘vote with the team’ and elect him the 56th House Speaker, we are prepared to accept censure, suspension, or removal from the Conference to accomplish this objective,” the letter reads.
McCarthy delivered a nominating speech for Jordan ahead of the third round of voting, calling him an “effective legislator” and “selfless,” emphasizing the chairman’s willingness to negotiate and reach compromises.
Jordan also failed to reach the necessary floor votes during the first two rounds, with 20 Republicans voting against him on Tuesday and 22 on Wednesday.
Prior to Wednesday’s vote, Jordan gave a speech encouraging the House to elect a speaker as soon as possible, citing the “important work” Congress must do, like providing aid to Israel and advancing the appropriations process as a government shutdown looms in November.
On Thursday, Jordan decided to support temporarily empowering acting Speaker Patrick McHenry through January and remaining speaker designee, but later said he would move forward with a third round of voting.
Gaetz commended McHenry for “resisting calls” to temporarily give him more power in comments to reporters following the third vote.
Jordan did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
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All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
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