Challenges Faced by Jim Jordan in His Bid for House Speaker Amidst GOP Defections

In an unexpected twist, conservative Republican Representative Jim Jordan faced a significant setback in his quest for the House speakership. He failed to gather enough support from the GOP on the initial ballot, falling far short of expectations. This development saw 20 fellow Republicans casting their votes against Jordan.

Now, Jordan faces the demanding task of convincing reluctant members of his party, particularly a group of GOP moderates and allies of former speakers Kevin McCarthy and Steve Scalise, to reconsider their votes. This unfolding drama over the House speaker’s position continues to captivate the political landscape, just two weeks after McCarthy was ousted from the role.

The slim margin of the vote echoes the circumstances that led to McCarthy’s removal by a faction of eight GOP rebels and a small group of House Republicans dissatisfied with Jordan’s candidacy. The 20 Republicans who voted against Jordan included influential figures such as House Appropriations Chair Kay Granger, Representative Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida, Representative Ken Buck of Colorado, and a coalition of New York Republicans representing purple districts.

The anti-Jordan faction displayed their disapproval by distributing their votes among alternative candidates, with six votes going to McCarthy, seven to Scalise, and three to former New York GOP Representative Lee Zeldin, among others.

Jordan and his supporters had believed they were making substantial progress in recent days. Jordan himself had been tirelessly meeting with skeptical lawmakers individually, while his allies outside Congress aggressively lobbied against the holdouts and warned of potential political consequences if they opposed a candidate favored by the Trump-aligned GOP base.

“I feel really good,” Jordan expressed to CNN moments before the vote. “Whatever it takes to get a speaker today.”

“We need to get a speaker today, and we feel really good about where we’re at,” he emphasized.

Since McCarthy’s removal two weeks ago, the House has been caught in a legislative standstill. It cannot move forward with important legislations, such as additional military aid to Israel or government funding, particularly with the looming threat of a government shutdown just a month away due to McCarthy’s short-term spending deal that prompted his removal.

Jordan’s supporters believe that the number of GOP opponents has dwindled from the 55 who initially voted against supporting him on the floor to approximately eight to ten holdouts.

On Monday, several key holdouts declared their support for Jordan, including Representative Ann Wagner of Missouri, who had previously labeled Jordan as a “nonstarter.”

“I feel like he can bring together everybody, from the moderates to the ultra-conservatives, and Republicans across the spectrum,” stated Representative Nicole Malliotakis of New York. “The bottom line is we’ve got to get back to work. We don’t have any time here to waste.”

Even if Jordan does not secure the necessary votes in the first ballot, he retains the possibility of forcing additional rounds of voting, similar to what McCarthy did when it took 15 rounds for him to be elected speaker in January.

Nevertheless, a group of lawmakers remains publicly opposed to Jordan, including GOP members who are still resentful of a small group of Republicans who engineered McCarthy’s removal and then resisted the nomination of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise as speaker.

“I can’t get past the fact that a small group in our conference violated the rules to get rid of Kevin and then blocked Steve,” expressed Representative Don Bacon of Nebraska. “You don’t have a process where I play by the rules, and these other people can’t, and then they get what they want. That’s not American. Americans want fair play and the rule of law.”

Representative Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida pledged to continue supporting Scalise on the floor, emphasizing the importance of respecting the election’s outcome.

Representative Ken Buck, a Colorado Republican, expressed his opposition to Jordan, stressing the need for Jordan to publicly acknowledge the outcome of the 2020 election. Jordan had, on Tuesday, reiterated his objections to the 2020 election certification.

Several Republicans from districts won by President Joe Biden refrained from disclosing their stance regarding Jordan’s candidacy.

House Democrats criticized the Republicans for endorsing Jordan as the next potential speaker, particularly given his involvement in activities on January 6. They were highly critical of this nomination, with Representative Jim McGovern, a Massachusetts Democrat, describing it as “disgusting.”

Jordan’s supporters have been urging the GOP conference to unite behind him, even those who had previously challenged McCarthy and opposed Scalise.

Representative Scott Perry of Pennsylvania argued that those who were still upset should not target Jordan, as he had supported both McCarthy and Scalise. He emphasized the need to direct their frustrations elsewhere, rather than towards Jim Jordan