Every time Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) tries to get the House Speaker position, he gets fewer votes. During his first try, 20 Republicans voted against him. Then, 22 voted against him. Friday, 25 voted against him, according to The New York Times.
In response, the House GOP conference voted by secret ballot on Friday to drop Jordan as their speaker designee.
“Three Republicans from swing districts won by President Biden – Representatives Marc Molinaro of New York, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Thomas H. Kean Jr. of New Jersey – abandoned Mr. Jordan after supporting him earlier,” the Times reported.
No Democrats stepped up to vote for the former wresting star and far-right Freedom Caucus co-founder either. Still, no other nominees were in the running for the position Friday.
It’s been weeks now since former Speaker, Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was ousted by his own party – specifically members of the Freedom Caucus. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) also attempted to fill the position, but pulled his name from the running when he did not secure the necessary votes.
Now, the House seems further away than ever from selecting a Speaker, a situation that puts the chamber in a state of paralysis. This is a particularly troubling time for the House to be in chaos, since the U.S. is aiding both Ukraine as it fights of Russian attacks and Israel as it fights off attacks from the Hamas terrorist group.
There is also a budget deadline coming up on Nov. 17. After recent squabbling that has brought the nation to the brink of a government shutdown multiple times in recent years, the U.S. credit rating was downgraded this year.
Despite these pressures, there is no clear candidate from the GOP, which has a slight majority in the House, for the Speaker position. While some floated the idea of giving Speaker pro tempore Rep. Patrick T. McHenry (R-N.C.) more powers, The New York Times said that option also seemed to have fizzled out by Friday.
Although the outlet also said that Jordan “has yet to show any inclination to drop out of the race,” he was actually dropped in a closed-door vote before the weekend, per CBS News.
When McCarthy became Speaker, he went through more than a dozen rounds of votes. Jordan might have gone through more, but the fact that he keeps shedding support in the GOP didn’t make future bids look promising.
McCarthy himself nominated Jordan for the Speaker position Friday.
“The American people expect us to focus on the most important issues,” he said. Jordan also said in a speech that he believes the chamber needs to get back to work and help provide aid for Israel.
Lack of support for Jordan in the GOP came from a variety of sources, including concerns about his inexperience in leadership and fundraising, as well as his connection with the small hard-right faction of the party. Republicans are expected to meet again Monday on the issue.