As Jim Jordan wins GOP’s 2nd attempt at nominating new speaker this week, uncertainty remains

Ohio congressman Rep. Jim Jordan beat a last-minute challenger Friday to become the House Republicans’ second nominee for speaker this week, but he failed to secure enough of his party’s support to warrant a floor vote.

Lawmakers are now heading home from Washington, D.C., for the weekend as the House GOP’s tortured path to replace former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy seems to have no end in sight.

Jordan, a House Freedom Caucus founder and chairman of the powerful judiciary committee, easily beat Georgia congressman Rep. Austin Scott 124-81 on Friday in the second internal GOP vote this week.

This win comes after Jordan lost in a secret ballot vote to House Majority Leader Steve Scalise 113-99 on Wednesday — despite Jordan receiving an endorsement from former President Donald Trump.

However, Jordan soon revived his campaign for the lower chamber’s top position after it became apparent Scalise would be unable to unite the party’s moderates and radicals to support him. Scalise, the party’s second-highest leader, withdrew himself from the race Thursday night, citing the refusal of Jordan’s supporters to back him.

House Republicans met for a closed-door candidate forum Friday, the second one this week, to try and distill a path forward to the 217 votes needed for any Republican nominee to become speaker, with Scott begrudgingly throwing his hat into the ring an hour before the vote as an alternative to Jordan — whose past of legislative flame-throwing makes him a hard sell for the conference’s more moderate members.

Related

• After weeks of dysfunction, Rep. John Curtis calls GOP nomination of speaker candidate ‘positive’

• Steve Scalise abruptly withdraws as House speaker candidate

Jordan called for a “validation” vote after defeating Scott to gauge his chances of winning the speakership in a floor vote. Jordan increased his tally of supporters by just 24, receiving 152 “yes” votes and 55 “no” votes.

At least half of those are reportedly “hard no’s,” according to Politico reporter Olivia Beavers. Some of these are Republican members of Congress, like Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., who have said they will never vote for Jordan on the floor over worries about his stance on Ukraine and the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election.

This sobering result for Jordan dashed any hopes of a bipartisan vote this weekend and sent lawmakers home with no clear solution to breaking the House’s paralysis by reaching 217 votes.

Hitting that mark would require near unanimous action from GOP lawmakers — who can only risk losing five votes — something that now seems impossible as party-line defectors have proven they will not approve new leadership even under the pressure of a funding deadline and Israel urgently asking for aid.

Some moderate Republicans, like Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., have floated the idea of siding with Democrats to elect a moderate Republican speaker.

And, according to Politico’s Sarah Ferris, centrist Democratic representatives have pitched the idea of siding with Republicans to approve additional authority for speaker pro tem Rep. Patrick McHenry to advance must-pass spending legislation and support for Israel and Ukraine with the condition that Democrats be given greater power to decide how bills proceed to a floor vote.

Funding for federal agencies is set to expire on Nov. 17, after a bipartisan short-term spending bill was narrowly passed just hours before a government shutdown last month.

Israeli officials have requested Congress approve additional humanitarian relief and armaments to replenish Israel’s missile defense system after attacks by Hamas terrorists left thousands of Israelis dead and spurred a declaration of war.

Related

• Rep. Blake Moore: House must elect speaker so it can aid Israel

• Does chaos in the House make a shutdown more likely?