Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) is House Republicans’ latest nominee for speaker, the party said Friday, one day after Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) dropped out of the contest as factions within the Republican party fight over who should succeed an ousted Kevin McCarthy.
Jordan’s re-entry into the race follows Steve Scalise’s abrupt exit on Thursday.
Rep. Elise Stefanik, the chair for the Republican conference, congratulated Jordan on becoming the speaker designee just hours after the Ohio congressman jumped back in the race speaker.
Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.) announced Friday he was running against Jordan to be the GOP nominee for House speaker, saying he wanted “to lead a House that functions in the best interest of the American people.”
Jordan reportedly defeated Scott in a 124-81 vote.
Before wining the nomination, Jordan told reporters at the Capitol on Friday that he planed to speak with his colleagues in conference but feels “real good about us having the votes.”
Early Friday, Jordan also said that he supported Scalise before the Louisiana representative dropped out because he wanted “to get unified and get this accomplished as soon as possible,” with Jordan adding he now believes he’s the person who can do that now.
- That’s how many votes Jordan will need from the entire House of Representatives in order to be elected speaker. With rivaling factions in the party and a slim majority, Republicans could struggle to reach this number without any help from Democrats.
It remains unclear if anyone, including Jordan, could reach the 217 number.
Scalise slimly beat Jordan in the conference vote for speaker earlier this week, 113-99. Before he lost, he had the support of many hard-right firebrands in the House as well as the public endorsement of former President Donald Trump. Despite that, he publicly supported Scalise after Scalise won the nomination. The ongoing drama in the House follows the ousting of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in a 216-210 vote last week.
Jordan serves as House Judiciary Committee chair and is an outspoken ally of Trump. Since being elected to Congress in 2006, Jordan has become known for his partisan investigations and public opposition to many Democratic policies like working to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Recently, he’s spent his time rallying support against the Biden Administration including through an impeachment inquiry.
When the House may reconvene for a vote on the speaker. Lawmakers face a number of looming deadlines when it does, while Congress is working against a November 17 deadline to pass a new budget to avoid a government shutdown.
Steve Scalise Abruptly Withdraws From House Speaker Race A Day After GOP Nomination (Forbes)