Posted on 10/17/23
| News Source: The Hill
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) failed to win the Speakership in the first round of voting Tuesday after 20 Republicans withheld support from his bid, denying him the votes needed to secure the gavel.
The vote was 200 for Jordan, 212 for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), six for former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and seven for House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.).
Seven voted for other candidates, including former Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.), Rep. Mike Garcia (R-Calif.), House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), House Rules Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-Okla.) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.).
The House is now expected to head to a second ballot, setting the stage for another protracted race to win the gavel. In January, it took McCarthy 15 ballots over the course of four days to be elected to the top spot.
Tuesday marked exactly two weeks since eight Republicans joined with Democrats in ousting McCarthy from the Speakership, a historic vote that plunged the House into uncharted territory and brought legislative business in the chamber to a screeching halt.
Jordan faced an uphill climb heading into Tuesday’s floor vote after at least six Republicans came out against his bid Monday night, and others remained mum on their positions.
Jordan — the founding chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus — won the GOP’s Speaker nomination last week after the conference’s first nominee, Scalise, withdrew his name from the race amid opposition from hard-line conservatives. Jordan had initially fallen short of Scalise in a 199-113 vote.
Days later, however, Jordan secured the nomination over Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.) — who mounted a last-minute bid for the gavel — in a 124-81 vote. In a second vote that asked members if they would support the Ohio Republican on the floor, the final tally was 152-55.