CNN
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Representative of the Republican Party. Jim Jordan failed to regain the House speaker’s victory in Wednesday’s second runoff, faring worse than he did in the first round of voting a day earlier.
Jordan signaled after the vote that he plans to stay in the race and continue to fight, but he faces stiff opposition and a gridlocked House that raises serious questions about whether he has a path forward. The loss also highlights the limits of Donald Trump’s influence in the speaker race The former president supported Jordan.
As pressure mounts on Republicans to get out of the leadership crisis, some are the interim speaker, North Carolina’s GOP representative. Patrick McHenry tends to expand his powers, though such a move would not be without controversy and has divided Republicans. Without a speaker, the room is effectively muted, a dangerous situation that comes amid conflicts abroad and a government shutdown next month.
During Tuesday’s first round of voting, 20 House Republicans voted against Jordan. On Wednesday, that number rose to 22, showing that opposition to the candidate has grown. Four new Republican votes against Jordan and two flipped on his column. Given the narrow House GOP majority, Jordan can only lose by a few votes, and a large number of votes against him puts the gauntlet out of reach.
Following his second loss on the floor, Jordan indicated he was digging going forward and told reporters he was still deciding whether to take another vote later in the day.
“We don’t know when the next vote will be, but we want to continue the dialogue with our colleagues,” he said.
“We will continue to talk to members and continue to work,” he said.
Jordan is a polarizing figure in the speaker’s race, a complicating factor in his bid to lock down votes. He is a staunch ally of Trump, has a long-standing reputation as a conservative rebel and helped found the fierce House Freedom Caucus. As chairman of the powerful House Judiciary Committee, he has also been a key figure in House GOP-led investigations.
Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy had 15 rounds of voting in January. But Jordan faces an uphill climb amid deep divisions in the House GOP caucus and the opposition he faces.
Tensions and frustrations among House Republicans have grown as the speakership battle drags on. Some lawmakers who voted against Jordan in the speaker race have charged what they described as a pressure campaign against them.
Representative Steve Womack of Arkansas derided what he called Jordan allies’ “attack, attack, attack” tactics against Republican opponents.
“Obviously, based on what I’ve done — I can only speak to me and what my staff have done in the last 24 or 48 hours — it’s clear what the strategy has been: attack, attack, attack. Attack members who disagree with you, attack them, subdue them. ,” he said.
GOP Rep. Don Bacon’s wife received anonymous text messages warning her husband to support Jordan. Bacon has been vocal against Jordan and was one of 20 Republicans who did not support Jordan in Tuesday’s vote.
“Your husband will no longer hold any political office. What a disappointment and failure he is,” read one of the messages sent to Bacon’s wife, obtained by Bacon by CNN.
Bacon’s wife responded to the speech by saying, “He has more courage than you. You will not put your name to your statements.
A GOP legislator voted for a congressman he didn’t want to be speaker. Ask why
Among those who have so far opposed Jordan’s effort are centrist Republicans, who say the face of the House GOP will be a conservative hardliner, and lawmakers are still angry at the Republicans who forced McCarthy out. Giving.
Scalise initially defeated Jordan at the GOP convention to become the speaker candidate, but later dropped out of the race amid opposition to his candidacy.
This story and topic have been updated with additional improvements.
