There has been no speaker of the House for over two weeks and resentment has replaced cohesion in Republican ranks. There is no solution or providential figure in sight for the time being. Even by the standards of a Republican Party that has been drifting over many years, the political crisis shaking the House of Representatives is beyond comprehension. On Wednesday, October 18, for the second time in 24 hours, Ohio Representative Jim Jordan failed to win the nomination for speaker due to opposition in his own party, even losing ground on his initial attempt.
Backed by Donald Trump, the far-right candidate received only 199 votes, compared with 212 for Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic candidate. A new vote is scheduled for Thursday. Jordan thus fell 22 votes short in the Republican ranks for succeeding Kevin McCarthy, the speaker removed from office on October 3 following a motion of no confidence tabled by Matt Gaetz (Florida). This internal parliamentary coup for the Grand Old Party has plunged the House into an unprecedented crisis at a crucial time. The possibility of a shutdown of non-essential government activities due to lack of funding in mid-November is looming ever closer. Without a speaker, government business will remain at a standstill even as Ukraine and Israel wait for Congress to adopt massive new military aid packages.
Secret talks and mutual accusations have continued between Republicans. A temporary solution would involve a vote to grant full powers to Acting Speaker Patrick McHenry of North Carolina, who is serving his tenth term and knows the institution inside out. This unprecedented move would allow the speaker to exercise full authority over the agenda and the conduct of sessions. But Jordan’s supporters know that the promotion of this veteran of the institution could permanently compromise their campaign for victory.
The hardliner's result was already astounding, with 200 Republican Representatives voting in the first round for Jordan, who was considered a marginal far-right politician only a few years ago. The hardliners’ motives are a mix of conviction, calculation, promises to their districts that must be fulfilled, or simply weariness at the psychodrama overwhelming the party. Less than three years after Trump followers stormed the Capitol, a supporter of the former president and of the insurrectionist movement found himself in a position to claim the speaker’s gavel. The situation is indicative of the immobility of the Republican Party, of the centrality of Trumpism, and of the continued push by an illiberal current ready to bend institutions to its will.
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