WASHINGTON (CN) — After a week of uncertainty and upheaval, House Republicans on Friday nominated Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan to become the next House speaker, hours after the caucus’s first pick for the job stepped away.
Jordan, a staunch Trump ally who was tapped to fill the speakership left empty by former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, narrowly earned his party’s endorsement in a 124-81 vote conducted behind closed doors. The Ohio Republican faced a last-minute challenge from Georgia Congressman Austin Scott, who despite jumping into the race hours before the vote managed to garner 81 votes.
His party’s nomination in hand, Jordan must soon face a floor vote in the House chamber — and it is unclear whether he has the 218 Republican votes necessary to secure the speakership. A second ballot conducted Friday, to determine how many lawmakers plan to support Jordan in a floor vote, came back 152-55 — far short of the required 218 vote threshold.
Jordan’s ascent comes after days of chaos in the Republican caucus, which voted to oust the former Speaker McCarthy just last week. In the interim, the GOP nominated Louisiana Congressman Steve Scalise to take up the mantle, but waning support caused the lawmaker to withdraw his candidacy Thursday night. Jordan had backed Scalise’s proposed speakership.
As of Friday afternoon, it is unclear whether the House will vote on Jordan’s nomination immediately. House Democrats are likely to oppose a Jordan speakership, given the lawmaker’s antagonism towards President Biden and affinity for former President Trump. Democrats are expected to put House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries up against the Republican speaker nominee.
Jeffries blasted the GOP’s speaker-elect during a press conference Friday, arguing that Jordan “hasn't passed a single bill” during his 16-year tenure.
“His focus has not been on the American people, his focus has been on peddling lies and conspiracy theories and division,” Jeffries said.
House Republicans, led by a vocal minority of hard right lawmakers, stripped former Speaker McCarthy of his role in a historic vote that left the lower chamber without a designated leader. Discontent had grown around the ousted speaker, who some Republicans accused of abandoning conservative policy priorities and negotiating with Democrats. The final straw for the GOP came at the end of September, when McCarthy struck a deal with House Democrats to avoid a government shutdown.
While the House remains leaderless, it cannot conduct any normal business — a fact that has become especially apparent as the U.S. hurtles towards another possible government shutdown without any new budget legislation. A stalled Congress also prevents lawmakers from approving aid for Israel as it fights a Hamas incursion.
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