Jordan Launches Second Attempt To Become U.S. House Speaker

After losing the initial vote in his quest to become House speaker, Rep. Jim Jordan is making a second attempt.

With Republicans holding a majority with a count of 221-212, Jordan needs to win over most of his Republican detractors to secure the position. I Photo: Gage Skidmore Flickr

This will set the stage for a decisive second ballot that will determine whether the staunch ally of Donald Trump can garner enough support or if his bid for the speaker's gavel is crumbling, challenged by critics. Lisa Mascaro, Farnoush Amiri, and Stephen Groves reported this for the Associated Press (AP).

Prior to the voting scheduled for Wednesday morning, Jordan made an unexpected plea for party unity, urging his colleagues to set aside internal conflicts and unite on social media. Jordan, the combative Judiciary Committee chairman, emphasized the importance of "stopping the attacks on each other and coming together."

Nevertheless, his nomination was met with resistance as a notably diverse group of 20 Republicans rejected his candidacy, with many opposing the hardline measures aimed at securing support and expressing concerns about the Ohio congressman's perceived extremism for the influential role of House speaker, which is second in line to the presidency. This was also reported by Kevin Freking and Mary Clare Jalonick for AP.

Additional voting scheduled for Tuesday was postponed, causing a temporary standstill in the House, as Jordan worked to solidify support from Republican colleagues in his bid to succeed the ousted Kevin McCarthy.

"We're going to keep working," Jordan stated late on Tuesday at the Capitol.

The vote count, with 200 Republicans backing Jordan and 212 supporting the Democratic leader, Hakeem Jeffries of New York, resulted in no candidate securing a clear majority due to the 20 Republicans who voted for alternative candidates. With Republicans holding a majority with a count of 221-212, Jordan needs to win over most of his Republican detractors to secure the position.

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