Jim Jordan’s future uncertain as opposition grows in US House speakership election

The Republican candidate, Jim Jordan, did not win the first vote to become the Speaker of the US House of Representatives. This was unexpected because members of his own party voted against him.

Even though many people tried very hard to convince them, 20 Republicans decided not to vote for the conservative Ohio congressman.

The person who supports Trump changed their mind and decided not to have another vote until Wednesday morning.

The lower chamber of Congress hasn’t had a Speaker since Kevin McCarthy was removed two weeks ago during a right-wing rebellion.

The House needs a leader to pass bills and approve emergency aid from the White House. This could mean providing assistance to Israel in their conflict with Hamas.

Mr Jordan got 200 votes in the first round of voting on Tuesday, but he needs 217 votes to become the Speaker.

Hakeem Jeffries, who was chosen by the Democratic party to represent New York, got 212 votes, which was more than what Mr Jordan received. However, since Democrats are not the majority in the House, these votes were not sufficient.

Mr Jordan promised to continue working and said he believed he would ultimately win.

We are moving forward successfully. “He said that he feels happy about it,” he told the reporters. “We will continue without stopping. ”

Mr Jordan cannot afford to lose more than four votes from his Republican party in a chamber where they have a majority of 221-212.

The chairman of the House Judiciary Committee first said there would be another vote on Tuesday, but later said the vote would happen on Wednesday at 11:00.

Republicans who did not choose Mr Jordan voted for Kevin McCarthy instead. McCarthy was the former Speaker, but he was removed from his position on 3 October. Some Republicans also chose other candidates.

Three people even voted for Lee Zeldin, a former member of Congress from New York who left his position in January of this year.

A group of New York Republicans who voted against Mr. Jordan mentioned that they disagreed with him on helping the people who were affected by the 9/11 attacks, as well as other political matters.

However, another Republican from New York, Elise Stefanik, praised Mr. Jordan, describing him as a patriot and a strong fighter for America.

Mr Jordan has a history of having arguments with people in his own political group. He helped create a very conservative group called the House Freedom Caucus. Former Republican Speaker John Boehner called this group “legislative terrorists. ”
After the vote on Tuesday, Mr. Jordan met with some Republicans who voted against him.

Many people said they would not change their opinion, and some even said more people might vote against Mr.

Colorado Republican Ken Buck said that the Ohio congressman has not yet accepted that former President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election to Joe Biden.

Mario Diaz-Balart, a Republican from Florida, said he did not feel any pressure to change his vote against Mr.

He said that if anyone tries to scare or threaten him, he will stop talking or bargaining. “He said that if that’s what’s happening, it’s when I stop understanding or agreeing with you. ”

Lori Chavez-DeRemer from Oregon, who is against Jordan, proposed giving more authority to Patrick McHenry, a Republican from North Carolina, so that the House can continue working even though they don’t agree on certain issues.

Byron Donalds, a Republican from Florida who likes Mr Jordan, said he was shocked by how many people voted against him.

Democrats are happily enjoying the problems within the Republican party and are portraying Mr. Jordan as someone with extreme beliefs.

Pete Aguilar from California called him someone who refuses to accept the election results and speaks out about it.

California Democrat Nancy Pelosi, who has served as Speaker of the House twice before, told reporters that Mr. Jordan had not realized how much opposition there would be against him.

She said that Republicans are learning about math and counting.

During a press meeting, Mr. Jeffries, who is the leader of the Democratic minority, expressed his willingness to collaborate with Republicans in order to find a Speaker who would be acceptable to both political parties.

“He said that there have been ongoing casual talks that have happened in the past few days. ”

It is possible for things to speed up now because Jim Jordan does not have enough votes to become Speaker.

If Jordan loses support, the next person who could become Speaker is Tom Emmer from Minnesota. He is the third most important Republican in the House.

In January, Mr. McCarthy, the previous Speaker, had to go through 15 rounds of voting that lasted for four days before he finally became the Speaker.

Many Republican hardliners, including Mr. Jordan, strongly opposed providing funding for the war in Ukraine. Their opposition played a significant role in the unexpected vote that resulted in Mr. McCarthy being removed from his position this month.

The speakership is the second most important position in line to become president, after the vice-president.