Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan failed to secure the votes required to become Speaker of the House during the first round of Republican-led voting on Tuesday. The unsuccessful vote marks the latest disappointing development in the weeks-long drama surrounding appointing a new Speaker to fill the seat vacated by Kevin McCarthy earlier this month.
The final tally of the House floor vote held earlier this afternoon showed 200 votes for Rep. Jordan and 212 for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), the Democratic nominee. Jeffries earned full support from his own party but fell short of the 217 votes required to become Speaker despite finishing with more than Jordan.
While a party-line vote from the Republican majority would have given Jordan 221 votes, multiple party members refused to back him. The GOP holdouts included:
- House Appropriations Chairwoman Kay Granger (R-TX)
- Carlos Gimenez (R-FL)
- Don Bacon (R-NE)
- Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR)
- Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL)
- Jake Ellzey (R-TX)
- Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY)
- Tony Gonzales (R-TX)
- Mike Kelly (R-PA)
- Jenn Kiggans (R-VA)
- Nick LaLota (R-NY)
- Mike Lawler (R-NY)
- John Rutherford (R-FL)
- Mike Simpson (R-ID)
- Andrew Garbarino (R-NY)
- Steve Womack (R-AR)
- John James (R-MI)
- Doug LaMalfa (R-CA)
- Ken Buck (R-CO)
- Victoria Spartz (R-IN)
Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), who supports Jordan, was absent from the proceedings and therefore unable to vote.
Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and House Majority Leader and one-time Speaker nominee Steve Scalise (R-LA) both voted in Jordan’s favor.
Despite losing the first vote, Jordan remains in the running and will continue to negotiate for additional support within his party. Additional votes are expected in the coming days, and Republicans hope to select a Speaker without a repeat of the 15-vote debacle that surrounded McCarthy’s appointment earlier this year.
This is a developing story. Stay tuned for updates.
The challenges posed by war require strong leadership and a united front to ensure effective decision-making and coordinated actions. Regardless of political differences, it is important for Republicans to prioritize the greater good and work collaboratively to vote for a Speaker. It would be very embarrassing otherwise.