WASHINGTON — With 20 fellow Republicans choosing others, Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan did not reach the majority vote needed to be elected House speaker during a first round of voting Tuesday.
Jordan received 200 votes from fellow Republicans, including all nine GOP members from Georgia. But that was short of the 217 he needed to become the next speaker. There are 221 House Republicans, but one member was absent to attend a family funeral.
Democrat Hakeem Jeffries received support from all 212 House Democrats.
It was unclear if there would be a second round of voting on Tuesday. The House went into recess shortly after the first attempt.
The House has operated without a speaker since eight Republicans voted with Democrats to remove Kevin McCarthy from the post on Oct. 3. Without a leader in place, the House has been at a standstill, unable to vote on legislation with a government shutdown deadline a month away and a growing international crisis in Israel and Gaza.
Many Republicans were furious over McCarthy’s ouster. Most of them then backed Majority Leader Steve Scalise when he sought the speakership. When he abandoned his bid after struggling to build a winning coalition, the vast majority of GOP lawmakers then pledged support to Jordan after he defeated Georgia Rep. Austin Scott in a head-to-head caucus vote on Friday.
Republicans said they want the House to get back to work and to set a good example by backing the candidate supported by “a majority of the majority.”
Among those members eager to get the House back in session is U.S. Rep. Rick Allen of Augusta, who was one of the 81 Republicans who supported Scott over Jordan last week. Allen agreed to back Jordan after the Friday vote.
“Jim won the majority last Friday,” Allen said Monday. “And I walked up to him and said, ‘You have my full support, and I’ll do whatever I need to do to help you get elected.”
Jordan arrived in Congress in 2007 as a conservative firebrand who founded the House Freedom Caucus, in part to be a thorn in the side of GOP leadership. Over the years, he has risen the ranks and toned down his rhetoric. He became an ally of McCarthy after he became the GOP leader. Jordan is the chairman of the powerful Judiciary Committee.
He also remains a darling of the far right, which is why there is some hesitancy among Republican moderates who aren’t sure he is the best person to lead their thin majority in working with the Democratic-led Senate and White House and heading into a crucial presidential election year.
Jordan has also faced criticism for voting to overturn the 2020 election and spreading former President Donald Trump’s falsehoods. He was also accused by former Ohio State University wrestlers of failing to protect them from a sexual predator while he served as an assistant coach of the team decades ago.
More recently, he voted against stopgap funding to avoid a government shutdown, and he has questioned continued support for Ukraine. Still, he told colleagues in a letter Monday that he wants to help unify the fractured caucus made worse by McCarthy’s ouster.
“The role of a Speaker is to bring all Republicans together,” he wrote. “That’s what I intend to do.”
Less than halfway through the first round of voting, there were more than a half-dozen votes for Republicans other than Jordan. He had already been defeated. He can try again and again and has said previously that he would go multiple rounds if needed. McCarthy was elected speaker in January after 15 rounds of voting.
Conservative activists have worked to pressure all Republicans to support Jordan, and Trump endorsed his speakership bid. The number of people who have said they don’t support him was at 81 on Friday but by Tuesday it was down to 20.
HOW THEY VOTED ON ELECTING A U.S. HOUSE SPEAKER, ROUND 1
Jim Jordan, R-Ohio
U.S. Rep. Rick Allen, R-Augusta
U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, R-Pooler
U.S. Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Athens
U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, R-Jackson
U.S. Rep. Drew Ferguson, R-The Rock
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Rome
U.S. Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Cassville
U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Suwanee
U.S. Rep. Austin Scott, R-Tifton
Hakeem Jeffries, D-New York
U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Albany
U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Lithonia
U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath, D-Marietta
U.S. Rep. David Scott, D-Atlanta
U.S. Rep. Nikema Williams, D-Atlanta
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