House speakership in doubt as opposition to Jim Jordan hardens

House speakership in doubt as opposition to Jim Jordan hardens.
Jordan held meetings with some of the Republicans who opposed him.

The House has been without a Speaker since Kevin McCarthy’s removal.

Republican Jim Jordan faced unexpected opposition in the first vote for the position of US House of Representatives Speaker.

Despite vigorous lobbying, 20 Republicans within his party declined to support the right-wing Ohio congressman. This opposition prompted Jordan to postpone another vote until Wednesday.

The House has been without a Speaker since Kevin McCarthy’s removal two weeks earlier due to a right-wing revolt. The House cannot pass legislation or approve White House emergency aid requests, including potential support for Israel during its conflict with Hamas without a Speaker.

Jim Jordan received 200 votes in the initial ballot, falling short of the 217 needed to secure the Speaker’s role. The Democratic nominee, Hakeem Jeffries from New York, received 212 votes, but Democrats are the minority party in the House.

Jordan expressed confidence in his prospects, stating, “We’re making progress. I feel good about it. We’re gonna keep going.”

He can only afford to lose four Republican votes in a House controlled by his party with a margin of 221-212.

It was rescheduled for Wednesday at 11:00 (15:00 GMT) while a second vote was initially planned for Tuesday. Some Republicans who didn’t vote for Jordan opted for Kevin McCarthy, the former Speaker, or other candidates, with a few even supporting Lee Zeldin, who retired from the House in January.

A group of New York Republicans cited Jordan’s opposition to benefits for 9/11 attack survivors and other political issues as their reason for voting against him.

However, Elise Stefanik, another New York Republican, praised Jordan as “a patriot” and “an America First warrior.”

Jim Jordan has a history of internal party disputes, being a founding member of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus, once labeled “legislative terrorists” by former Republican Speaker John Boehner.

Jordan held meetings with some of the Republicans who opposed him, but it was unclear if they would change their votes a. Some suggested that the number of votes against Jordan might increase after Tuesday’s vote.

Republicans like Colorado’s Ken Buck highlighted that Jordan hadn’t acknowledged Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss to Joe Biden.

Florida’s Mario Diaz-Balart stated that he didn’t feel pressured to change his vote and warned against any attempts to intimidate him.

Oregon’s Lori Chavez-DeRemer proposed granting interim Speaker Patrick McHenry additional powers to allow the House to function during the impasse. Byron Donalds, a Florida Republican supporting Jordan, expressed surprise at the number of votes against him.

Democrats capitalized on the Republican discord, portraying Jordan as an extremist. California’s Pete Aguilar referred to him as “a vocal election denier.”

Nancy Pelosi, a former Speaker, said that Jordan had underestimated the resistance to his candidacy and suggested that Republicans needed lessons in mathematics and vote counting.

Democratic minority leader Hakeem Jeffries offered to collaborate with Republicans to find a Speaker acceptable to both parties in a news conference. If support for Jordan wanes, the next potential Speaker candidate is Minnesota’s Tom Emmer, the third highest-ranking Republican in the House.

The previous Speaker, Kevin McCarthy, needed 15 rounds of voting over four days in January to secure the position.

Strong resistance to funding for the Ukraine war among Republican hardliners, including Jim Jordan, played a role in McCarthy’s ouster earlier in the month. The speakership is the second-highest position in the presidential line of succession, following the vice-president.

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House speakership in doubt as opposition to Jim Jordan hardens

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