Republican Representative Jim Jordan fell short in the initial voting round for the House speaker on Tuesday. The nomination for Jordan was presented by Republican Representative Elise Stefanik, following which the first ballot was conducted.
It was reported that Republican Representative Gus Bilirakis was not present due to a funeral, resulting in 432 members being present in the chamber. However, Jordan did not secure the simple majority required, with House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries receiving 212 votes, while Jordan received 200 votes. Additionally, 20 Republican votes were cast for other candidates. Consequently, the House is currently in recess.
Given the slim majority of the GOP in the House, Jordan would face defeat in each subsequent voting round if more than three Republicans and all Democrats opposed him. Consequently, Jordan has been working to bridge the vote deficit that emerged from the GOP conference election last Friday, in order to secure the position of the next House speaker.
Leading up to the House floor vote, Jordan continued to reach out to Republican members who were initially not supportive of him during the GOP conference's secret ballot election. Notably, he garnered significant endorsements from influential Republican House members, including Chairman of the Intelligence Committee Mike Turner, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Mike McCaul, and Chairman of the Armed Services Committee Mike Rogers.
Nevertheless, he still encounters opposition from certain members who opposed the move to remove House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, such as Representative Don Bacon from Nebraska and Representative Carlos Gimenez from Florida. These members have expressed their intention to vote for McCarthy as the speaker in the first round of voting on the House floor.
Despite McCarthy's assertion that he does not desire renomination for the position, Bacon was among the group of Republicans who voted for McCarthy on the floor. McCarthy, who was previously removed from the speakership on October 3, has endorsed Jordan and expressed confidence in his ability to secure victory on the House floor.
"I’m doing everything I can to help him be able to become speaker,” McCarthy stated during a Monday interview on Fox News.
As a result, the stage is set for further negotiations, discussions, and voting leading up to the final selection for the House speaker.
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