Volusia congressmen back Jim Jordan's bid for Speaker of the House in first round of voting

As U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan struggles to earn enough GOP votes to become Speaker of the House, the two congressmen who represent Volusia County remained squarely in his corner Tuesday.

Reps. Michael Waltz and Cory Mills both announced their support for Jordan even before the candidacy of Rep. Steve Scalise fell apart last week.

Both Waltz and Mills have also endorsed President Donald Trump, who is campaigning for the White House again in 2024. On Oct. 5, Trump endorsed Jordan, an Ohio congressman who was the keynote speaker at the Volusia County Republicans' Lincoln Dinner in Daytona Beach in January.

In recent days, both congressmen have spent more time focused on world events, particularly the war in the Middle East.

In an interview recorded by C-SPAN on Oct. 12, Waltz expressed impatience with the speaker election process, which was brought about by the extraordinary vote to oust Rep. Kevin McCarthy two weeks ago.

Waltz, of St. Augustine Beach, said the United States has "a sacred obligation" to its forces in the Persian Gulf and "our greatest ally," Israel, imperiled with the threat of other Middle Eastern countries.

"My consistent point here is any differences we have in this room may seem big in the room, but in the context of China on the march, Russia on the march, terrorism on the march because they smell weakness in Washington, those differences are infinitesimal. We need to get over it, to get our heads out of our rear ends, as we say in the Army, and get back to work."

Meanwhile, Mills, of New Smyrna Beach, was in Israel in recent days to help secure the safe transport of 96 stranded Americans out of that country.

On Tuesday, he posted on X, formerly known as Twitter: "On behalf of my constituents, I'm proud to have voted for @Jim_Jordan for Speaker of the House. With Americans still stuck in Israel, now is not the time to continue without a Speaker. We MUST get back to work for the American people."

The incoming speaker needs a majority of House members' support, or 218 votes, a number Jordan fell short of Tuesday. Democrats have stuck together and voted their 212 votes for their choice, Rep. Hakeem Jefferies.

On Tuesday, 20 Republicans voted against Jordan. That included three Florida congressmen, including Rep. John Rutherford of Jacksonville, who voted for Scalise and South Florida Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart (who also supported Scalise) and Carlos Gimenez, who backed McCarthy.

More votes were expected on Wednesday.

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This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Jim Jordan vote: Congressmen Michael Waltz, Cory Mills lend support