Jim Jordan Loses First House Vote to Become Speaker

Facts

• Republican Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) lost the first round of his attempt to be voted speaker of the US House of Representatives — only the second time such a feat has happened in 100 years. [Additional rounds of voting are planned.]¹
• 20 members of the Republican Party voted against Jordan, who required 217 votes to be elected into the office. Jordan received 200 votes in total.²
• Republicans chose also to vote for former speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) (seven votes), House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) (six votes), former Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.) (3 votes), as well as Tom Cole (R-Okla.), Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), and Mike Garcia (R-Calif.) (one vote each).³
• Republicans hold a 221-212 majority in the House. Jordan, who currently sits as the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and a founding member of the House Freedom Caucus, is endorsed by former president Donald Trump.⁴
• All Democrats voted for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who received 212 votes. Speaking to reporters before the vote, Jordan claimed that rounds of voting would continue 'until we get a speaker.'⁵
• Jeffries accused the Republican Party of 'miring the Congress in chaos, dysfunction, and extremism.' Without a speaker, the House cannot vote on or bring to the floor new legislation. In the meantime, Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) will continue as speaker pro tempore.⁶

Sources: ¹Forbes, ²USA Today, ³Reuters, ⁴Associated Press, ⁵CBS and ⁶Newsweek.

Narratives

• Republican narrative, as provided by National Review. So far, more moderate members of the party have continued to hold out against Jordan. If this continues, a Republican to watch as a new potential nominee is House GOP conference vice chairman Mike Johnson, as the party looks to ensure America can pass legislation prioritizing the support of Israel as well as the long-term future of government funding. The GOP is working to secure the speaker's gavel.
• Democratic narrative, as provided by The Daily Beast. The Republican leadership crisis continues, and Jordan remains far away from gaining the necessary votes to become speaker. While a first-round victory never seemed realistic, the double-digit deficit is a reality check to the far-right Freedom Caucus member. Anger concerning the behavior of House Republicans is building, as the party continues to hold American politics hostage.

Predictions