Jordan not moving to third round in House speaker race, supporting McHenry as temporary speaker

On Thursday, GOP Rep. Jim Jordan announced his decision to withdraw from the race for House speaker. Instead, he has chosen to support a proposal that aims to elevate his fellow Republican Congressman Patrick McHenry to the position of a temporary unelected speaker with all the powers of the office.

The move by Jordan, the Chair of the House Judiciary Committee from Ohio, comes after two failed attempts this week to secure enough votes in the full House for the speakership. McHenry, who represents North Carolina, assumed the role of speaker pro tempore following the ousting of Kevin McCarthy, a California GOP Rep., from the speakership about two weeks ago.

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The strategy of the House Republican Conference, which holds control over the chamber, is to assign a member to temporarily preside over legislative matters until a new speaker can be elected. However, the conference has been divided in selecting a new speaker, with a significant contingent of far-right members opposing McCarthy initially, and subsequently rallying behind Jordan. Moderate GOP members, on the other hand, remain firmly against Jordan's bid.

Despite his withdrawal from the speaker race, Jordan reportedly intends to continue his efforts to secure sufficient GOP votes until January, as he remains designated for the speaker position.

The McHenry proposal, supported by former GOP House speakers Newt Gingrich and John Boehner, is seen as an attempt to curb what critics have referred to as "chaos" within the conference. However, critics argue that elevating McHenry to the temporary speaker position may limit his authority to fully legislate, given that he will not have the status of an elected speaker.

Representative Andy Biggs, a Republican from Arizona and former chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, expressed his reservations about the proposal. Biggs emphasized that designating McHenry as a speaker for 90 days could pose significant challenges, particularly in relation to crucial spending bills for the upcoming 12 to 18 months.

In conclusion, Jordan's decision to step aside from the race for House speaker and lend his support to McHenry reflects the ongoing division within the House Republican Conference. As the conference continues to grapple with the selection of a new speaker, proposals for a temporary solution such as elevating McHenry emerge but are not without their detractors.