Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) failed to garner enough support to become the next speaker of the GOP-led House in the first round of voting on Tuesday.
In a House floor vote that began in the early afternoon, 20 Republicans refused to back Jordan. The C-SPAN tally showed Jordan getting 200 votes, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) getting 212 votes, and “other” getting 20 votes.
A simple majority in the chamber was needed to secure victory.
The House could jump right into another round of voting or choose another way forward after Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) was removed as speaker earlier this month. There is a sense of urgency to come to a resolution as a government shutdown is possible by mid-November without a spending deal and members want to respond to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Some have floated giving Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC), who is serving as speaker pro tempore, expanded powers to get legislative business done in the short term. Others have suggested a consensus candidate with bipartisan support.
Jordan won the GOP nomination for speaker in his second try on Friday after the party’s first nominee, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), dropped out before a House floor vote could happen as he faced opposition from a small group of Republicans.
Jordan has been working to woo a couple dozen Republican holdouts who have been resistant to his candidacy, but failed to lock the support of enough Republicans in the first round of voting. GOP defectors picked other people, including Scalise, McCarthy, and former Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY).
The GOP holdouts in the first round included: House Appropriations Chairwoman Kay Granger (R-TX) and Reps. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL), Don Bacon (R-NE), Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR), Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Jake Ellzey (R-TX), Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY), Tony Gonzales (R-TX), Mike Kelly (R-PA), Jenn Kiggans (R-FL), Nick LaLota (R-NY), Mike Lawler (R-NY), John Rutherford (R-FL), Mike Simpson (R-ID), Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), Steve Womack (R-AR), John James (R-MI), Doug LaMalfa (R-CA), Ken Buck (R-CO), and Victoria Spartz (R-IN).
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Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), who supports Jordan, missed the first vote to attend a funeral. McCarthy and Scalise voted for Jordan. As did Rep. Austin Scott (R-GA), who challenged Jordan for the GOP nomination in the second round.
The House started a new round of voting for speaker two weeks after lawmakers voted to remove McCarthy from the role that he had held since the beginning of the year. In January, McCarthy secured the speaker’s gavel in the 15th round of voting after making concessions to a small group of Republicans, such as restoring the ability of a single member to trigger the process that would lead to such a no-confidence vote.
Citing frustrations with McCarthy’s leadership, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) filed a “motion to vacate the chair” after the GOP-controlled House passed a short-term spending bill to avert a government shutdown. Gaetz and seven other Republicans joined with Democrats in a 216-210 vote that ousted McCarthy.
Jordan is the chairman of the Judiciary Committee. He had received an endorsement from former President Donald Trump, the GOP frontrunner in the 2024 presidential contest.
This story is developing and will be updated with additional information.