House Speaker Live Vote: The House is still without a speaker as Rep. Jim Jordan loses the second-round vote. The plenary session is expected to vote again
WASHINGTON— Rep. Jim Jordan is expected to soon tell his GOP colleagues that he will not cast a third vote for the speaker’s role and will instead work to expand the powers of Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry, sources tell ABC News.
House Republicans are expected to meet behind closed doors in the basement of the Capitol at 11 a.m. Thursday to discuss the speakers’ situation ahead of a possible vote later in the day.
A plenary vote could take place as early as midday, but the exact time – and details of the vote – have not yet been determined.
Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, center, confers with colleagues after losing the second round vote for House Speaker at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023.
(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Jordan lost the second round of voting on Wednesday when 22 Republicans voted against him – two more votes against him than in the first round of voting on Tuesday.
Jordan, a conservative firebrand, staunch Donald Trump supporter and founding member of the House Freedom Caucus, won his party’s nomination last week after House Majority Leader Steve Scalise dropped out of the race.
FILE – Then-President Donald Trump, right, encourages Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, left, to speak during a rally Saturday, Aug. 4, 2018, in Lewis Center, Ohio.
(AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
Jordan received one fewer vote in the second round than on Tuesday, receiving 199 votes.
Jordan accepted three members but lost four others.
Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, bottom second from left, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-California, second row left, during the speaker’s vote on the second ballot at the Capitol in Washington, Oct. 18, 2023.
(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
The 22 Republicans who voted against Jordan form a group of centrists and institutionalists who show no signs of backing down any time soon.
Seven Republicans voted for House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who initially won the party’s nomination for speaker but withdrew from the race last week. They were: Representatives Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida, Drew Ferguson of Georgia, Tony Gonzales of Texas, Kay Granger of Texas, John Rutherford of Florida, Mike Simpson of Idaho and Steve Womack of Arkansas.
Five voted for McCarthy: Reps. Don Bacon of Nebraska, Lori Chavez DeRemer of Oregon, Carlos Gimenez of Florida, Jennifer Kiggans of Virginia and Mike Lawler of New York.
Other Republicans who voted for someone else include Reps. Vern Buchanan of Florida, Ken Buck of Ohio, Jake Ellzey of Kansas, Mary Miller-Meeks of Iowa, John James of Michigan, Mike Kelley of Pennsylvania and Pete Stauber of Minnesota.
Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, speaks to reporters at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Oct. 16, 2023.
(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
The group of critics cited a number of reasons for voting against Jordan, including a refusal to reward lawmakers who voted to oust McCarthy, pushback against the pressure campaign by Jordan’s allies and growing concerns about Jordan’s ideological rigidity , including his support for efforts to overturn the 2020 election results.
“It’s made us angry and it’s backfiring,” Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., said Wednesday on Newsmax about the pressure campaign. “Maybe this will work for some younger people. But someone like me… you convince us with an argument that makes sense. You have to convince us. And threatening us doesn’t work.”
Sources tell ABC News that Jordan has also pushed for a vote on a resolution authorizing Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry, but it is unclear whether the GOP leadership team will agree to bring it up while Jordan is still an active member candidate for Speaker and as long as Other Republicans may be waiting in the wings to pick up the gavel if he drops out of the race.