Fiery Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan’s candidacy for speaker will be tested in the House 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 remove him.
Congress has been paralyzed for two weeks, unable to conduct business and has a month before the government runs out of money again.
Jordan has emerged as the favorite after Rep. Steve Scalise suddenly dropped out last Thursday, but at least six members of his party have vowed they will still reject his offer when the House votes at noon on Tuesday.
Some have said they will vote for Kevin McCarthy again, and some others have not said so. Jordan can only afford to lose around four Republican votes to achieve a majority of 217.
Jordan and his allies spent the weekend making calls trying to take down the 55 members who said in a secret conference vote last week that they would not vote for him after he won the nomination
Jordan and his allies spent the weekend making calls trying to take down the 55 members who said in a secret conference vote last week that they would not vote for him after he won the nomination.
By calling out the objectors, Jordan risks an embarrassing loss to put his critics on the record.
But if they publicly oppose Jordan, given the justice chairman’s popularity among the base, the objectors have a chance of finding a conservative primary opponent.
“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 as speaker, said he wanted to have more “conversations” with Jordan but was worried Jordan wouldn’t tell him that Donald Trump did not win the 2020 election.
“If he wants to lead this conference during a presidential election cycle … he needs to be strong and say Donald Trump did not win the election and we need to move forward.”
On Friday, the firebrand Ohio Republican was named the GOP conference nominee, defeating Georgia Rep. Austin Scott by a vote of 124-88. Scott entered the race at the last moment because moderates had little appetite for Speaker Jordan.
Rep. Ken Buck, a Colorado Republican who voted to oust Kevin McCarthy as speaker, said he wanted to have more “conversations” with Jordan but was worried Jordan wouldn’t tell him that Donald Trump did not win the 2020 election
“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 vote, Republicans were asked, “Would you vote for Jordan locally?” Fifty-five Republicans said they would not.
Jordan’s nomination for speaker comes after Majority Leader Steve Scalise, the No. 2 Republican in the House, dropped out of the race after receiving the nomination 24 hours earlier.
Scalise, like McCarthy before him, had encountered insurmountable resistance 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 House business than were some right-wing Scalise opponents.
Jordan has emerged as the favorite after Rep. Steve Scalise suddenly dropped out last Thursday, but at least six members of his party have vowed they will still reject his offer when the House votes at noon on Tuesday
Republican Reps. Carlos Gimenez and John Rutherford of Florida both still insist they will vote for Kevin McCarthy after he was ousted weeks ago — as does Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y.
While the House of Representatives was in turmoil, its major arguments were on hold – a month from Tuesday, state resources will be depleted again. House Republicans had hoped to pass 12 single-issue federal funding bills by then, but it is almost certain they will need another continuing resolution (CR) to push back the funding deadline.
McCarthy put a CR on the ground, prompting an attempt to remove it.
Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., had long promised to file a motion to resign if McCarthy extended state funding to 2023 levels instead of pushing through 12 separate bills.
Even if the House can pass all budget bills, it will have to work with the Senate to get the spending bills through the Democratic-led upper chamber. Jordan is not known for his ability to work across the aisle — another factor that could raise skepticism among moderates.
The outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas has also increased pressure as Congress must decide whether to offer more defense aid to Israel – and grapple with whether to offer Ukraine more help in the fight against Russia.