For right-wing hardliner Jim Jordan there were up to 20 votes against from his own group. However, he could try to assert himself in the next round of elections.
Republican Jim Jordan failed in his first attempt to become Speaker of the US House of Representatives. Due to divergent votes from his own group, the confidant of former US President Donald Trump did not reach the necessary majority in Tuesday’s vote. He clearly missed the required majority of 217 votes. But Jordan could try to assert itself in the next electoral rounds.
In addition to the Democrats, 20 Republicans also voted against the 59-year-old right-wing hardliner, who wants to succeed President Kevin McCarthy, who was deposed two weeks ago. When he was elected in January, McCarthy needed 15 rounds to win the state’s third-highest office. He was ousted as the first House leader in U.S. history just nine months later in a rebellion by his party’s far right.
During the chaotic search for a successor, Jordan, who supported Trump, was nominated behind closed doors by the Republican faction last Friday – but the vote was extremely close. The day before, Republican majority leader Steve Scalise, initially nominated by the group, threw in the towel after it became clear that he would lose the necessary majority in the plenary session.
The lack of a majority also became apparent in Jordan ahead of Tuesday’s vote. Many moderate Republicans have strong reservations about the current chairman of the influential House Judiciary Committee, who is known for his strongly right-wing views and aggressive political style. Republicans currently have 221 representatives and Democrats 212. Because one Republican was missing from Tuesday’s vote, Jordan could only have granted three dissenters. A significantly larger number of party colleagues then refused to support him.
Chamber of Deputies paralyzed without leader
The dispute between Republicans has far-reaching consequences: without a president, the House of Representatives is largely paralyzed. This means, among other things, that Congress cannot decide on any additional military aid to Israel, which is attacked by the Palestinian radical Islamic organization Hamas, or to Ukraine, which is attacked by Russia. The US is also threatened with a so-called shutdown in mid-November without a resolution to the budget dispute.
The previous speaker of the parliamentary chamber, Kevin McCarthy, was voted out of the powerful post in a historic vote in early October. Radical Republicans kicked him out of office. It was the first time in US history that a speaker of the House of Representatives lost his position in this way. The position ranks third in the hierarchy of the United States, after the president and his vice president.
The drama among Republicans in the House of Representatives has largely paralyzed the US Parliament for now. Because until a new speaker of the house is named, legislative work will remain largely idle – and this in the midst of a time of major international conflicts in Ukraine and Israel that need the attention of the US Parliament. Among other things, Congress has to decide on possible additional aid to Kiev, as well as the federal budget as a whole. For now, only a transitional budget has been agreed until mid-November, which does not include any support for Kiev.
No common denominator
The Republican faction in the House of Representatives is extremely fragmented and difficult to reach a common denominator. McCarthy only managed to become president on the 15th vote in January. After he was voted out, the group initially identified right-wing conservative Steve Scalise as a possible successor to McCarthy. But Scalise was unable to secure the necessary majority within his own ranks and withdrew his candidacy before the plenary vote.
Republicans have only a slim majority in the House of Representatives. This is why dissident Republicans have a powerful influence on the vote. The group currently has 221 seats in the parliamentary chamber, while the Democrats have 212 seats. Jordan would need 217 votes to obtain a majority. Therefore, he could only afford four dissidents from his own ranks – but 20 party colleagues opposed him. Jordan could not count on the votes of US President Joe Biden’s Democrats in the vote.
The Ohio representative belongs to the right margin of the group, represents extreme positions and has been firmly on Trump’s side for years. The former president campaigned aggressively for Jordan ahead of the vote. Democrats, on the other hand, warned before the vote that it would send a “terrible message” if the House of Representatives made a supporter of a national abortion ban, an election denier and a member of the attack on the US Capitol the leader of the House . (APA)