Jim Jordan Revives Fight, Says He'll Hold 3rd Speaker Vote

Jim Jordan (AP)

Thursday, 19 October 2023 07:16 PM EDT ET

The House will vote 10 a.m. ET on Friday on Rep. Jim Jordan's third bid to become speaker, a staffer for the congressman said Thursday.

Jordan vowed to continue his floundering bid for speaker of the House of Representatives on Thursday, after his fellow Republicans abandoned a backup plan to allow the leaderless chamber to resume business.

Jordan, who has lost two votes for speaker this week, emerged from an hours-long closed door meeting with fellow Republicans to say he would press ahead with a third vote.

"I'm still running for speaker and I plan to go to the floor and get the votes and win this race," Jordan told reporters, adding that he wanted to talk to some of the more than 20 fellow Republicans who have voted against him.

It was not clear when the House would vote again on a speaker. The chamber has been at a standstill since Oct. 3, when a small group of Republicans ousted Kevin McCarthy from the speaker's chair, leaving lawmakers unable to respond to eruption of war in the Middle East and a possible partial government shutdown less than a month away.

McCarthy emerged from the meeting and told reporters that it's up to Jordan whether to move forward with the third floor vote tonight. 

Jordan didn't respond when asked by reporters if he would move forward.

Earlier in the day, Jordan said he would pause his speaker bid and called on them to extend the authority of Representative Patrick McHenry. McHenry has been acting speaker since Oct. 3, when a small group of party members ousted Kevin McCarthy.

But many Republicans objected to that proposal.

The House's leadership vacuum has prevented Congress from acting on urgent legislative business.

Democratic President Joe Biden is expected to ask Congress this week to approve as much as $60 billion for Ukraine and $10 billion for Israel, and funding for U.S. government operations is due to expire in less than a month.

Jordan has twice failed to secure the 217 votes needed to claim the speaker's gavel as he has faced opposition from Democrats and more than 20 of his fellow Republicans.

Republicans who have voted against him the first two times have predicted he will also fail on a third vote.

The prolonged leadership battle has laid bare divisions among Republicans who control the chamber by a narrow 221-212 margin. Investors say the turmoil on Capitol Hill is also contributing to market volatility.

© 2024 Thomson/Reuters. All rights reserved.


Politics
The House will vote 10 a.m. ET on Friday on Rep. Jim Jordan's third bid to become speaker, a staffer for the congressman said Thursday.
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2023-16-19
Thursday, 19 October 2023 07:16 PM
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