Rep. Jim Jordan’s bid to become speaker failed for a third time on Friday, with no end in sight to the House leadership vacuum as Congress faces a deadline to avoid a government shutdown and the White House calls for urgent security assistance for Israel.
Jordan has insisted on remaining in the race despite failing repeatedly to secure the gavel as support for his bid erodes further with each consecutive vote. This time, 25 Republicans voted against Jordan, who boasts the support of former President Donald Trump. Twenty-two voted against him in the previous vote.
Earlier Friday, Jordan indicated he will keep pushing into the weekend. He alluded to the 15 rounds of voting that former Speaker Kevin McCarthy needed before securing the gavel.
“There’s been multiple rounds of votes for speaker before — we all know that,” Jordan told reporters at a press conference Friday morning, before the vote. “Our plan this weekend is to get a speaker elected to the House as soon as possible so we can help the American people.”
McCarthy formally nominated Jordan before the House on Friday. Lawmakers laughed as the California Republican addressed the chamber.
“Being speaker is not an easy job, especially in this conference,” McCarthy said. “I’ve seen Jim spend his entire career fighting for freedom. No matter what, no matter the odds — and I know he’s ready for the job.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, the Democratic candidate for speaker, called Friday for moderate Republicans to abandon Jordan and work on a bipartisan solution to end the impasse.
“End the attachment to the extremist Jim Jordan and join with Democrats in finding a bipartisan path forward,” Jeffries told reporters. “We recognize that Jim Jordan is a clear and present danger to the American people. And we are going to be here for as long as it takes to end this national nightmare.”
Jordan’s decision to press ahead comes after Republicans failed to coalesce around a proposal to temporarily empower interim Speaker Patrick McHenry to oversee the passage of legislation until the deeply divided party settles on a permanent replacement.
Democrats had expressed openness to supporting McHenry.
Republicans appear to have no viable path to elect a speaker more than two weeks after a faction of eight GOP lawmakers led by Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida ousted McCarthy. The leadership vacuum in the House has left Congress unable to pass spending legislation, with the clock ticking toward a Nov. 17 deadline to avoid a government shutdown.
Congress is also unable to address what President Joe Biden has described as urgent national security priorities. Biden on Thursday said he would ask Congress to pass security assistance for Israel as it wages war against Hamas, as well as for Ukraine as Kyiv battles the Russian invasion. CNBC/agency
