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Firebrand Ohio Rep.’s bid Jim Jordan as speaker will be tested in the House of Representatives on Tuesday in a dramatic vote that could end weeks of chaos in Congress.
Republicans have been embroiled in a civil war since Kevin McCarthy became the first speaker in history to be ousted by colleagues when eight rebel GOP members voted to oust him.
Congress has been paralyzed for two weeks, unable to conduct business, and it will take another month for the government to run out of money again.
Jordan has emerged as the favorite after Rep. Steve Scalise abruptly dropped out last Thursday, but at least six members of his party have vowed they will still reject his bid when the House votes at noon Tuesday.
Some have said they will vote for Kevin McCarthy again, and a few others have said neither. Jordan can only afford to lose about four Republican votes to reach a majority of 217.
Jordan and his allies spent the weekend making phone calls in an attempt to defeat the 55 members who said in a secret ballot at the conference last week that they would not vote for him after he won the nomination.
Jordan and his allies spent the weekend making phone calls in an attempt to defeat the 55 members who said in a secret ballot at the conference last week that they would not vote for him after he won the nomination.
By capturing holdouts on the floor, Jordan risks an embarrassing loss to put his opponents on the map.
By publicly opposing Jordan, the holdouts risk a conservative primary challenger, given the judiciary chairman’s popularity among the grassroots.
“If people think they can pressure me, they will lose me,” said Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, who insisted he would not vote for Jordan.
Rep. Ken Buck, a Colorado Republican who voted to oust Kevin McCarthy from the presidency, said he wanted to have more “conversations” with Jordan but is concerned that Jordan won’t tell him that Donald Trump didn’t win the 2020 election .
“If he’s going to lead this conference during a presidential election cycle … he’s going to have to stand strong and say that Donald Trump didn’t win the election, and we have to move on.”
On Friday, the Ohio Republican was nominated to the GOP conference, defeating Georgia Rep. Austin Scott by a vote of 124 to 88. Scott had jumped into the race at the last minute because moderates had little appetite for a Speaker Jordan.
Rep. Ken Buck, a Colorado Republican who voted to oust Kevin McCarthy from the presidency, said he wanted to have more “conversations” with Jordan but is concerned Jordan won’t tell him Donald Trump won’t win the 2020 election won.
“If people think they can pressure me, they will lose me,” said Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, who insisted he would not vote for Jordan.
Then, in a second secret ballot, Republicans were asked, “Would you vote for Jordan?” Fifty-five Republicans said they would not.
Jordan’s nomination for speaker comes after Majority Leader Steve Scalise, the number two Republican of the House of Representatives, withdrew after receiving the nomination 24 hours earlier.
Scalise, like McCarthy before him, had faced insurmountable opposition from the right wing of the conference.
Although Jordan faced opposition from moderates and pragmatists, they were more likely to hold their noses and vote for him to return to the House of Representatives than some right-wing Scalise opponents.
Jordan and his allies spent the weekend making phone calls in an attempt to defeat the 55 members who said in a secret ballot at the conference last week that they would not vote for him after he won the nomination.
Jordan has emerged as the favorite after Rep. Steve Scalise abruptly dropped out last Thursday, but at least six members of his party have vowed they will still reject his bid when the House votes at noon Tuesday.
By placing holdouts on the floor, Jordan risks a public loss if he puts his opponents on the map. By publicly opposing Jordan, the holdouts risk becoming a conservative primary challenger, given the judiciary chairman’s popularity among the grassroots.
Jordan and his allies spent the weekend pressuring holdouts to vote for him — with the unspoken threat that if they didn’t, they would risk a primary challenge given Jordan’s popularity with grassroots conservatives .
Florida Republican Reps. Carlos Gimenez and John Rutherford both still insist they will vote for Kevin McCarthy after he was impeached weeks ago.
While the House of Representatives is in turmoil, the bigger fights are on hold; in a month, government funding will run out again. House Republicans had hoped to pass 12 single-issue government funding bills by then, but it is almost certain they will need another continuing resolution (CR) to pass the funding deadline.
McCarthy laid a CR on the ground, prompting the bid to remove him.
Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., had long promised to set aside a motion if McCarthy expanded government funding at 2023 levels, rather than pushing through 12 separate bills.
Even if the House can pass all of its appropriations bills, it will have to work with the Senate to get the spending legislation through the Democratic-led Senate. Jordan is not known for his ability to work across the aisle — another factor that could draw skepticism from moderates.
The outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas has also increased pressure, as Congress must decide whether to provide more defense aid to Israel — and decide whether to provide more aid to Ukraine in its fight against Russia.