Jim Jordan could take path to speakership that hasn’t been tried since before the Civil War
October 17, 2023 04:07 PM
House Republicans could choose a rare but risky method to put Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) in the speakership on Tuesday. He failed to get the necessary votes during the first round of voting.
Republicans could decide to hold a plurality election, which would decide the next speaker based on who gets the most votes, instead of the traditional majority method, which requires the speaker to garner 217 votes.
The move to a plurality election, which was last used shortly before the Civil War, would be risky. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) has been securing more votes than Jordan due to a divided GOP. If Jeffries received the most votes in a plurality election, Republicans would lose the speakership but remain the majority party.
Alex Brandon/AP
The House is allowed to choose how a vote is held, according to House Practice.
Plurality elections have been used twice in United States history. The first time was in 1849, when the Whigs, Democrats, and Free Soil Party could not settle on a new House speaker. The House went 19 days without a speaker in 1849, but eventually, Georgia Democratic Rep. Howell Cobb was voted to be the leader after the lower chamber agreed to a plurality and ballot election.
The second occurrence came in 1856, during the 34th Congress, amid concessions and declarations on slavery. The House nominated 21 people for the position, representing the Republican Party, the Democratic Party, the Know Nothings, and a declining Whig Party. The chamber was able to dwindle the field to three candidates, but they were deadlocked for two months. Massachusetts Rep. Nathaniel Banks of the Know Nothings was eventually selected as the new leader following the plurality election.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The hold in Congress has stretched on for 14 days, and it comes amid wars in Israel and Ukraine. Eight Republicans voted with Democrats to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) earlier this month after he was accused of making a side deal with Democrats to fund the federal government through the end of October.
Jordan was elected as the conference’s nominee on Friday and could still secure the 217 votes needed to become the next speaker. However, he only secured 200 votes during the first round of voting.