Jordan fails to become speaker on first ballot as 20 Republicans vote against him
October 17, 2023 01:53 PM
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) failed to become speaker on the first ballot after 20 Republicans voted against him, causing him to fall short of the 217 votes necessary to win the gavel.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) received 212 votes to Jordan’s 200, with 20 Republicans voting for other candidates.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP
After an intense pressure campaign over the weekend, Jordan made a dent in whittling down the number of people against him, but by the day of the vote, the number of Republican dissenters ballooned.
Centrists, annoyed supporters of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) and former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), and other GOP lawmakers withheld their support from Jordan on the floor.
Jordan allies wanted to proceed with a vote on Tuesday in hopes they could eventually get to a majority on the floor.
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McCarthy took 15 ballots to win the speakership before being removed nine months later, creating the current situation.
Jordan and his allies are now expected to try to whip the Republican holdouts and win their support before taking it to the floor for a second vote.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.