House Republicans tap Jim Jordan as nominee for next speaker

House Republicans tapped Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) as their nominee for speaker, a day after their initial candidate Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) failed to consolidate enough party support to win the majority vote on the full House floor.

In a closed-door meeting on Friday, Republicans voted 124-81 to nominate Jordan, giving him the edge over Rep. Austin Scott (R-GA) who announced his own long-shot bid for the speaker’s gavel earlier in the day. It’s not yet clear when Republicans will refer the matter to the full House for a vote, as Jordan will still need to firm up support with a handful of holdouts.

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There are also a number of Republicans who left Washington, D.C., for the weekend, making it likely Republicans will delay a vote until enough members have returned to surpass the 217-majority vote threshold.

Jordan emerged as a top contender earlier this week when he ran against Scalise in another closed-door meeting on Tuesday. However, the majority leader eked out a narrow victory over the Judiciary chairman, prompting Jordan to drop his bid at the time and endorse Scalise.

However, several Republican lawmakers came out in opposition to a Scalise speakership, vowing not to support his nomination when it came to the floor. Scalise later dropped out of the race, opening the door for Jordan to try once again.

“I like Jim but I just think that Steve got a raw deal,” said Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL). “I think he’s worked hard, he’s earned it. And I think if he were to of give him a little bit more support, that would really change my mind a little bit on Jim Jordan.”

Jordan, who has been at times perceived as a flame-thrower, is not as appealing to moderates and members in swing districts. He faces an uphill climb to convince moderate Republicans to back his nomination since a number of Scalise’s supporters as well as some of McCarthy’s, have indicated they will not support him in the race or vote for him on the floor.

Jordan has risen through the ranks since he began serving in Congress since 2007, when he helped start the House Freedom Caucus. Since, he’s become a party insider, serving as the House Judiciary Chairman and playing a leading role in the impeachment inquiry of President Joe Biden.

The major question now is whether Jordan will be able to lock down the votes he needs, a major obstacle to his path to the gavel. Jordan can only afford to lose four votes because Democrats are expected to vote for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), setting the stage for a multi-round election similar to the one lawmakers experienced in January when it took McCarthy 15 rounds to secure the leadership position.

The vote comes after McCarthy was removed as speaker last week after just nine months on the job, leaving the House with the top leadership position vacant for the first time in history. Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC) was appointed as speaker pro tempore in the interim, giving him limited power as Republicans seek to elect a new leader.

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Until a speaker is elected, the House is effectively paralyzed following McCarthy’s removal, a situation that has taken on new urgency as Israel faces a new war with Hamas. Additionally, the longer it takes to elect a new speaker, the less time lawmakers have to work toward critical appropriations bills, which are key to averting a government shutdown in mid-November.