Rep. Barry Moore will vote for Jordan for speaker following House Freedom Caucus meeting

Rep. Barry Moore (R-AL) said he plans on voting for Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) for speaker over Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) when it comes to the House floor after meeting with the House Freedom Caucus.

Moore told reporters that he was considering voting for Scalise but changed his mind after the caucus meeting. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), who led the motion to remove Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) as speaker, and Jordan are members of the Freedom Caucus.

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The Alabama congressman said Freedom Caucus members are concerned Scalise is a “rubber stamp for McCarthy” and indicated he will vote for Jordan on the floor, per Punchbowl News.

The House GOP conference nominated Scalise for speaker through a secret ballot vote during a closed-door meeting on Wednesday afternoon. The vote was 113-99. The chamber later adjourned for recess and it was unclear when the speakership vote would be brought to the floor.

Scalise will need at least 217 votes to become speaker. Democrats are expected to nominate House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), meaning the election will come down to a party-line vote.

Although Scalise secured the nomination, it does not ensure other members won’t nominate Jordan for the speakership, possibly 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.

Several GOP members have already indicated they will vote for someone other than Scalise for speaker, including Reps. Max Miller (R-OH), Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Troy Nehls (R-TX), Chip Roy (R-TX), Carlos Gimenez (R-FL), Michael Cloud (R-TX), Thomas Massie (R-KY), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), and Moore.

Like Moore, several rank-and-file Republicans came out in opposition to Scalise’s nomination, vowing instead to vote for Jordan despite him losing the nomination.

“If Jim Jordan does not get the majority within that room, I will go down to the House floor and continue to vote for Jim Jordan,” Miller said.

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“I never said [Scalise] is the wrong leader,” Miller added. “I just think right now we need to reevaluate all leadership.”

However, Jordan will support Scalise’s nomination and plans to vote for him. He also is encouraging his colleagues to do the same, even offering to give the majority leader a nominating speech on the House floor as a way to convince any holdouts, according to a source familiar.