Current:Home > InvestGOP’s Jim Jordan will try again to become House speaker, but his detractors are considering options-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
GOP’s Jim Jordan will try again to become House speaker, but his detractors are considering options
View Date:2024-12-23 18:00:01
WASHINGTON (AP) — Having lost the first vote to become House speaker, Rep. Jim Jordan will try again on a decisive second ballot that will test whether the hard-edged ally of Donald Trump can win over the holdouts or if his bid for the gavel is collapsing, denied by detractors.
Ahead of Wednesday morning’s voting, Jordan made an unexpected plea for party unity, the combative Judiciary Committee chairman telling his colleagues on social media, “we must stop attacking each other and come together.”
But a surprisingly large and politically diverse group of 20 Republicans rejected Jordan’s nomination, many resisting the hardball tactics enforcing support, and viewing the Ohio congressman as too extreme for the powerful position of House speaker, second in line to the presidency.
Additional voting Tuesday was postponed as the House hit a standstill, stuck while Jordan worked to shore up backing from Republican colleagues for the job to replace the ousted Kevin McCarthy.
“We’re going to keep working,” Jordan said late Tuesday at the Capitol.
It’s been two weeks of angry Republican infighting since McCarthy’s sudden removal by hard-liners, who are now within reach of a central seat of U.S. power. The vote for House speaker, once a formality in Congress, has devolved into another bitter showdown for the gavel.
The tally, with 200 Republicans voting for Jordan and 212 for the Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, left no candidate with a clear majority, as the 20 Republicans voted for someone else. With Republicans in majority control 221-212, Jordan must pick up most of his GOP foes to win.
Jeffries swiftly intervened, declaring it was time for Republicans to partner with Democrats to reopen the House — in what would be an extraordinary if not unprecedented moment in congressional history.
Bipartisan groups of lawmakers have been floating ways to operate the House by giving greater power to the interim speaker, Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., or another temporary speaker. The House had never ousted its speaker before McCarthy, and the lawmakers are in rarely tested terrain.
“The Republicans are unable to function right now,” said Jeffries. He said talks would “accelerate” between Democrats and Republicans on alternative plans.
Late Tuesday, the novel concept was gaining favor with a pair of surprising high-profile Republicans: Newt Gingrich, the former Republican speaker, said while he likes Jordan, he has “no faith” the nominee can get much beyond the 200 votes he won in the first vote.
“We can’t sit around and suck our thumbs and hope the world will wait until the House Republicans get their act together,” Gingrich told Fox News’ Sean Hannity on his show.
John Boehner, another former GOP speaker, reposted Gingrich’s views saying, “I agree,” on social media.
The two men have deep experience with the subject. Both were chased to early retirement by threats of ouster from right-flank insurgents like those who toppled McCarthy.
But with public pressure bearing down on lawmakers from Trump’s allies, including Hannity, it’s unclear how long the holdouts against Jordan can last. Already, some lawmakers said their first vote was merely a protest, and they would be with Jordan on next rounds.
“Jim Jordan will be a great speaker,” the former president said outside a courthouse in Manhattan, where he is facing business fraud charges. “I think he’s going to have the votes soon, if not today, over the next day or two.”
Flexing their independence, the holdouts are a mix of pragmatists — ranging from seasoned legislators and committee chairs worried about governing, to newer lawmakers from districts where voters back home prefer President Joe Biden to Trump.
Some Republicans resent being pressured by Jordan’s allies and say they are being threatened with primary opponents if they don’t support him as speaker. Others are simply upset at the way the whole process has dragged out.
As Tuesday’s somber roll call was underway, each lawmaker announcing their choice, the holdouts quickly surfaced.
Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb., a leader of the centrists, voted for McCarthy, the ousted former speaker. Murmurs rippled through the chamber. Others voted for Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who was the party’s first nominee to replace McCarthy before he, too, was rejected by hardliners last week.
One, Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., a veteran appropriator, said later that he would not be “pressured or intimidated” over his vote. “That millisecond when anybody tries to intimidate me is the moment where I no longer have the flexibility.”
Another holdout, Republican Rep. Ken Buck of Colorado, said Jordan’s role in the runup to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol and his refusal to admit that Biden, a Democrat, won the 2020 election remained an issue.
Jordan has been a top Trump ally, particularly during the Jan. 6 Capitol attack by the former president’s backers who were trying to overturn the 2020 election he lost to Biden. Days later, Trump awarded Jordan a Medal of Freedom.
The political climb has been steep for Jordan, the combative Judiciary Committee chairman and a founding member of the right-flank Freedom Caucus. He is known more as a chaos agent than a skilled legislator, raising questions about how he would lead. Congress faces daunting challenges, risking a federal shutdown at home if it fails to fund the government and fielding Biden’s requests for aid to help Ukraine and Israel in the wars abroad.
Immediately after the vote, Jordan conferred with McCarthy, who fared nearly as badly in January, having lost almost as many votes on the first of what would become a historic 15 ballots for the gavel.
First elected in 2006, Jordan has few bills to his name from his time in office. He also faces questions about his past. Some years ago, Jordan denied allegations from former wrestlers during his time as an assistant wrestling coach at Ohio State University who accused him of knowing about claims they were inappropriately groped by an Ohio doctor. Jordan has said he was never aware of any abuse.
___
Associated Press writers Kevin Freking and Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.
veryGood! (79479)
Related
- Trump is likely to name a loyalist as Pentagon chief after tumultuous first term
- Retiring early? Here are 3 ways your Social Security benefits could be affected
- Men's college basketball bubble winners and losers: TCU gets big win, Wake Forest falls short
- Expand March Madness? No thanks. What a bad idea from Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark
- Former NFL coach Jack Del Rio charged with operating vehicle while intoxicated
- Former YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki's Son Found Dead at 19 at UC Berkeley
- Baylor Bears retire Brittney Griner's No. 42 jersey in emotional ceremony for ex-star
- Joe Manganiello Makes Caitlin O'Connor Romance Instagram Official 7 Months After Sofía Vergara Breakup
- Lululemon, Disney partner for 34-piece collection and campaign: 'A dream collaboration'
- Why Francesca Farago and Jesse Sullivan Want to Have Kids Before Getting Married
Ranking
- Nevada Democrats keep legislative control but fall short of veto-proof supermajority
- Death and money: How do you talk to your parents about the uncomfortable conversation?
- What does 'oomf' mean? Add the indirect term to your digital vocab.
- Hundreds of officers tried to protect the Super Bowl parade. Here's why it wasn't enough.
- Fire crews on both US coasts battle wildfires, 1 dead; Veterans Day ceremony postponed
- Stock market today: Asian shares are mostly higher as Chinese markets reopen after Lunar New Year
- Why Francesca Farago and Jesse Sullivan Want to Have Kids Before Getting Married
- Why Francesca Farago and Jesse Sullivan Want to Have Kids Before Getting Married
Recommendation
-
Why Suits' Gabriel Macht Needed Time Away From Harvey Specter After Finale
-
Jeremy Renner Makes Rare Appearance at 2024 People's Choice Awards After Past Year's Heck of a Journey
-
NBC anchor Kate Snow announces departure from Sunday edition of 'NBC Nightly News'
-
Adam Sandler Has Plenty of NSFW Jokes While Accepting People's Icon Award at 2024 People's Choice Awards
-
Infowars auction could determine whether Alex Jones is kicked off its platforms
-
Zimbabwe’s vice president says the government will block a scholarship for LGBTQ+ people
-
Noah Lyles edges out Christian Coleman to win national indoor title in men’s 60-meter dash
-
To Live and Die in Philadelphia: Sonya Sanders Grew Up Next Door to a Giant Refinery. She’s Still Suffering From Environmental Trauma.