After a weekend of wrangling, it appears that Rep. Jim Jordan, of Ohio, is just a few votes away from clinching a new role as Speaker of the House. Of course, there’s a big caveat since anything could happen between now and when the vote is scheduled later today.
The margin is indeed thin but seems surmountable if only for the fact that the GOP caucus seems to agree it’s time to move forward with the people’s business. The holdouts in this case are moderate House members (squishy Republicans) concerned that Jordan might actually try and run the House like a conservative, or something like that.
According to CNN, however, it looks like Jordan has a pretty good shot:
Jordan picked up key support from holdouts heading into Tuesday’s vote, which comes two weeks after McCarthy’s historic ousting, and his allies are bullish that the Ohio Republican can corral the 217 votes he needs to be elected speaker. But it’s not clear whether Jordan can be the one who unifies the fractured House Republican conference, with some lawmakers still opposed.
Florida Rep. Gus Bilirakis will be away from the Capitol on Tuesday for his mother-in-law’s funeral, further complicating the vote math for the Ohio Republican. Jordan can now only lose three votes, instead of four, but this is a temporary drop until the Florida congressman returns. Bilirakis will arrive back in Washington Tuesday evening, his office told CNN.
The slim margin is what led to McCarthy’s removal at the hands of a band of eight GOP rebels – and a small group of House Republicans unhappy with Jordan could block his ascension, too.
Democrats seem apoplectic that Jordan, a representative then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi banned from the January 6th show trial committee, might now take the gavel into his own hands. In other words, unlike Kevin McCarthy or even Steve Scalise, Jordan poses a much bigger threat to Democrats and to the President than other names floated in recent days.
Update – 12:10 PM ET
The House is taking up roll call and commencing with a vote it appears. Trump reiterated his support for Jordan this morning, will he end up pushing him over the top?
Update – 8:43 pm
Jordan failed the first round:
ROUND 1 – Jim Jordan fails to win as Speaker of the House – Lacks the 217 required votes
RESULT OF ROLL CALL
-Hakeem Jeffries- 212
-Jim Jordan – 200-No persons received a majority of the whole number of votes cast
-A Speaker was not elected pic.twitter.com/rajJmm5ELP— Biasedly Unbiased (@DiRealDan) October 17, 2023
Live Stream – House of Representatives Speaker Vote (Oct. 17)
Here’s the live Associated Press feed of the House floor which will cover the vote when it starts around 12:00 pm ET today. It could be delayed into the afternoon depending on circumstances so the timing is subject to change.
Alternate Live Stream: Newsmax (YouTube)
