All four Iowa representatives back Jim Jordan in first round of House speaker votes

All four of Iowa's U.S. House representatives voted Tuesday for Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, to become the new House speaker.

However, Jordan did not receive enough support to secure the position after the first round of voting.

Jordan is a co-founding member of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus. He's a close ally of former President Donald Trump, and he did not vote to certify President Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 election. As chair of the powerful Judiciary Committee, Jordan is one of the few key lawmakers spearheading House Republicans' impeachment inquiry into Biden.

All four of Iowa's representatives had indicated some support for Jordan ahead of the vote, although Miller-Meeks was hesitant to say definitively that she would vote for Jordan on the House floor.

U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn and U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, while speaking at a fundraiser for Gov. Kim Reynolds Saturday evening, said on stage they would support Jordan's bid for speaker.

Nunn was most enthusiastic about Jordan's candidacy on Saturday: He said he was "proudly supporting Jim Jordan … to make sure we have a speaker who is committed to moving the important things forward that are happening in our world right now.”

Hinson said House Republicans need to elect a speaker "so we can continue to hold the Biden administration accountable."

“I think it’s time that we get back to work and select a speaker, so whoever that person is — I’m supporting Jim Jordan," Hinson said, noting that she supported House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., when he was a candidate for the position.

More: Jim Jordan wins nomination in House speaker election, defeating late challenger Austin Scott

In her speech, Miller-Meeks did not say whether she would vote for Jordan on the House floor.

Instead, she delivered a spirited defense of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who was ousted by far-right members of his party earlier this month. She praised McCarthy for sacrificing his speakership to keep the government open, averting a shutdown late last month.

"Can you just imagine what would've happened last Saturday if our government had been shut down?" Miller-Meeks asked, referring to the Hamas attack on Israel. "If our military, if our state department would have been unable to act?"

In an interview with the Des Moines Register after the event, Miller-Meeks said she supported Jordan in closed-door votes among the Republican caucus — and she had supported Scalise and McCarthy in prior votes, she said.

"(Jordan) has to convince 55 people who didn’t vote for him on Friday to vote for him," Miller-Meeks said. "I’m sure he’ll narrow that gap, but you’ve got members who are in very strong Biden districts that are very concerned about his speakership."

When asked if she was prepared to vote for Jordan again if he sways enough Republicans over the weekend, Miller-Meeks said: “He’s got to get his remaining votes.”

However, Miller-Meeks told news outlets on Monday that she needed to have more conversations before deciding whether she would support Jordan on the floor. She voted for Jordan on Tuesday.

U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra tweeted Monday that he supports Jordan.

"We must stop Biden’s radical agenda, secure our border, and stand up for Israel!" Feenstra wrote.

Katie Akin is a politics reporter for the Register. Reach her at kakin@registermedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @katie_akin.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa reps vote for Jim Jordan, but he lacks support to win speakership