After two weeks of chaos, House to vote on Jim Jordan for speaker of the House
House Republicans are looking to end weeks of chaos and infighting Tuesday by holding a public vote on the nomination of Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, to be the next Speaker of the House.
Jordan spent the hours leading up to the vote continuing a sweeping campaign to convince 217 Republicans to back him. Jordan and his allies have spent the past several days working to convince skeptics that he can move beyond his history as a bomb-throwing outsider to lead the fractured party in a consequential election year.
"The American people deserve to have their Congress, the House of Representatives working," Jordan told reporters in the Capitol on Monday night. "We can't have that until we have a speaker."
Republicans held one final closed-door meeting Monday night ahead of the vote for members to share their frustrations, grievances and questions for Jordan. Many left unconvinced that Jordan is the right person to lead their party, despite increasing pressure for members to choose a leader and move forward.
Jordan can only afford to lose a handful of Republicans to secure the gavel. Aides to Jordan say they expect he will fail to get enough votes on the first ballot and will move to a second vote. Additional ballots may be required but Jordan's allies hope the public vote will force members to get in line.
Jordan was endorsed by former President Trump and the vote on his speakership is viewed by many as a public loyalty test for the party.
Holdouts remain unconvinced Jordan can lead
Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., told reporters he plans to vote for the ousted former Speaker Kevin McCarthy on the floor Tuesday, saying it's "unacceptable" for a small minority of the majority dictating actions of the conference.
Bacon, who represents a district that President Biden won in 2020, voiced concerns about fellow Republicans not "playing by the rules."
"It's not about Jim – it's about Kevin McCarthy and Steve Scalise and how they were treated," Bacon said. "I respect people have different opinions on this. We need a speaker. We've got a world on fire. But we didn't put us there — I didn't put us there. The small group that took out Kevin and then blocked Steve have put us in this spot."
Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., also said he will not support Jordan on the floor. Buck has raised concerns about Jordan's role in fueling conspiracy theories that the 2020 election was stolen from former President Trump.
"I do think that the the 20 Republicans who are in Biden districts have a problem if everybody in leadership is saying the election is stolen," Buck told reporters Monday.
Other members worry that Jordan has a long history of opposing spending bills. The next speaker will immediately face decisions about military aid to Ukraine and Israel, funding for border security and an upcoming deadline to fund the government by November, 17.
This is a developing story. This page will be updated. [Copyright 2023 NPR]
