Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) failed to secure the majority needed to secure the speakership, falling short of the 217-vote threshold for the second time as the House scrambles to elect its next speaker.
During the second roll call vote on Wednesday morning, 199 Republicans voted in favor of Jordan with 22 holdouts remaining, putting the Ohio Republican below the majority threshold after all Democrats voted in favor of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY). The House will briefly recess until further notice, giving Jordan more time to continue trying to sway holdout votes and consider a path forward.
The second failed vote shows a sign of slowed progress for Jordan after four Republicans voted against him despite voting for him during the first round of votes on Tuesday. Those who voted against Jordan despite supporting him in the first round include: Reps. Vern Buchanan (R-FL), who voted for Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL); Drew Ferguson (R-GA), who voted for Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA); Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), who voted for Rep. Kay Granger (R-TX); and Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN), who voted for Bruce Westerman (R-AR).
One Republican switched their support to back Jordan: Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-CA), who initially voted for former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), and Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN), who voted for Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) on Tuesday.
Other Republicans who voted against Jordan in both rounds include:
Jeffries received 212 votes from a unified Democratic caucus.
It’s not yet clear when the House will vote again. However, some members have begun to consider alternative options if it becomes evident Jordan cannot secure the votes needed to clinch the speakership.
One such idea would be to expand the powers currently held by Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry (R-NC) until a new speaker is elected by the full House. Rep. Dave Joyce (R-OH) is expected to file a resolution that would "empower" McHenry as the temporary speaker, according to a source familiar with the matter. However, it's not entirely clear how broad the resolution would expand his abilities or for how long — nor is it clear whether it would garner enough support from Republicans to pass.
A handful of Jordan holdouts have previously floated the idea of expanding McHenry's powers, especially as they continue to oppose the Ohio Republican's speakership on the floor.
“We need to do that,” Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) said on Tuesday. “It’s not just about the situation now. It's about the future. If we have an incapacitated speaker of the House in the future due to illness or injury or whatever, this place can't stop working. So we need to fix that problem. That's an inherent problem inside the houses.”
Democrats could also be open to the idea of empowering McHenry in his interim position, which could give those GOP holdouts enough support to push the resolution against the finish line. The resolution would require a simple majority, or 217 votes, to pass.
Jordan indicated he would support voting on the resolution, noting it's up to the conference to decide next steps.
“I think both questions should be called. Let’s get an answer," Jordan told reporters on Wednesday. "I think we should have that resolution, that question called. Let’s get a vote on that and find out.”
McCarthy took 15 ballots to win the speakership in January, before being ousted nine months later.
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Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) has repeatedly called on centrist Republicans to drop their support for Jordan and instead work with Democrats to advance a candidate that could win the support of both parties. The New York Democrat has not named a specific candidate his party members would back but said there are several Republicans whom Democrats respect as a viable candidate — which includes McHenry.
“Our focus right now relates not just to any one individual but to getting the institution reopened,” Jeffries told reporters on Tuesday. “I have respect for Patrick McHenry. I think he is respected on our side of the aisle. There are a whole host of other Republicans who are respected on our side of the aisle. Jim Jordan is not one of them.”