Jim Jordan wins House GOP's nomination for speaker, but deep divisions remain

Table Of Content

• Republicans Tap Jordan for Speaker, but Delay Vote as Holdouts Balk
• House speaker vote planned for tomorrow as Jordan rallies support
• Massie says there's a 50% chance Jordan gets elected tomorrow
• Running investigations in Biden and his family
• Stauber votes Westerman
• Tempers flare in GOP conference meeting as opposition to McHenry plan grows

During that period, Ms. Greene was taking a different approach to the job, trying on the uniform of team player in an attempt to gain more influence. Ms. Greene, who had been stripped of her committee seats by Democrats during her first term in Congress, tried transforming from a powerless sideshow into a more serious legislator. Ms. Greene is not necessarily concerned that her behavior will hurt the House Republican conference, a place where she has few allies, as long as she is strengthening her own brand that is beloved by the MAGA base. She also epitomizes the incentive system that many blame for Congress’s deep dysfunction. Her rhetoric and behavior generate viral social media content that keeps her where she most likes to be — in front of a camera — which in turn helps make her more famous and drives more small-dollar donations to her campaign. But after the House passed a massive foreign aid bill with bipartisan support and Ms. Greene continued to threaten Mr. Johnson, his popularity with Trump voters suffered and Ms. Greene’s increased.

House Speaker race starts again with candidates entering after Jordan’s oust - The Washington Post

House Speaker race starts again with candidates entering after Jordan’s oust.

Posted: Fri, 20 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Republicans Tap Jordan for Speaker, but Delay Vote as Holdouts Balk

"This has nothing to do with Mike Johnson as a person but this is about his job performance." WASHINGTON – Northern Kentucky's Rep. Thomas Massie joined conservative firebrand Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., Wednesday to announce they're calling up a vote next week to oust House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. At the time, he listed repealing and replacing ObamaCare and opposing then-President Barack Obama’s immigration plan as the caucus’ priorities. His voting record has already earned him praise among conservative groups – some of which have already backed him for speaker.

House speaker vote planned for tomorrow as Jordan rallies support

After McCarthy’s ouster, Steve Scalise of Louisiana and Jordan entered the speaker’s race. Scalise won a private vote among the Republican conference, but withdrew his name from contention after it became clear he could not get enough votes. During Mr. McCarthy’s weeklong, 15-vote ordeal to win the gavel last year, Ms. Greene locked arms with him in a surprise move and said she just wanted Congress to get down to business. She did so knowing that her effort to depose Mr. Johnson was all but certain to fail. She has only two Republicans publicly committed to backing it and Democrats have said they would vote to block any motion to oust the speaker, giving him more than enough votes to kill it.

Massie says there's a 50% chance Jordan gets elected tomorrow

Democrats have all voted for their leader, Hakeem Jeffries of New York, in each of the speakership elections. Jeffries has said there have been “informal talks” with Republicans, but Democrats have been quiet about any negotiations. A pre-condition for any Democratic support for a speaker appears to be that they would allow any bipartisan bills come up for a vote. After the third failed vote, Republicans took a vote by secret ballot on whether Jordan should remain the nominee.

Rep. Byron Donalds of Florida is mounting a bid, according to a source familiar with his plans. Rep. Kevin Hern of Oklahoma told reporters, "I'm in," and added, "We've got to make a lot of phone calls this weekend." Mr. Jordan, a co-founder of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus, began Friday by pushing ahead with the vote despite clear signs that he would fall short. The outcome showed that he had actually lost ground, with 25 Republicans opposing him, compared with the 22 who voted against him on his last try on Wednesday. After his colleagues then voted to withdraw Mr. Jordan’s nomination, about a dozen House Republicans, few of them household names, quickly began making calls and exploring bids for speaker. After winning 200 votes on Tuesday, the Judiciary Committee chairman won 199 on Wednesday, after picking up the votes of two Republicans while losing the support of four others.

He lost that vote handily, losing his status as the Republican nominee for speaker. Ever since Republicans ousted Kevin McCarthy as House speaker on 3 October, the Republican conference has been mired in chaos. Friday marked an escalation as should be of that dysfunction as Jim Jordan, the far-right congressman from Ohio, lost his third vote on the House floor to be speaker and his status as the GOP nominee. At Wednesday's press conference, Greene held up a hat that read "MUGA," playing off Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan that took root in the 2016 presidential campaign. She said the "uniparty is make Ukraine great again. The uniparty is about funding every single foreign war. They think this is the business model that needs to be done." "My philosophy is you do the right thing and you let the chips fall where they may," Johnson told reporters in April.

Jordan was once a far-right outsider who has become a far-right insider as the party has evolved. They’re also dialing up the rhetoric against the GOP’s new nominee for speaker, prominent Donald Trump ally Jordan of Ohio, blasting him as an insurrectionist, election denier and extremist. "We'll take it one at a time, but I'm a no" on Jordan, Bacon said tonight when he was asked whether he would vote for McCarthy each time if there are multiple ballots. Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., said tonight that he thinks Jordan can get the 217 votes needed to be House speaker, but he's not sure when it'll happen. No sign of movement from the bloc of New York Republicans who have opposed Jordan.

Jim Jordan out as Republican nominee for House speaker: Highlights - NBC News

Jim Jordan out as Republican nominee for House speaker: Highlights.

Posted: Fri, 20 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Jordan is "no longer" the speaker designee within the House Republican Conference, multiple members told NBC News. He concluded by arguing that his military experience made him "uniquely qualified" to determine the truth on the ground. Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., says he plans to run for speaker and will file paperwork for his candidacy by the end of Friday. "We've got several depositions lined up next week and work that we need to do for the American people." As long as the House remains without a speaker, the chamber cannot advance any legislation, leaving members unable to pass critical bills like a stopgap government funding measure or an aid package for Israel and Ukraine.

Whether McHenry's authority extends beyond overseeing the election of a new speaker is unclear, thanks to some ambiguity in the House rules governing the appointment of a temporary speaker. "There are still some people that have their own agendas, and I was very clear, we have to have everybody put their agendas on the side and focus on what this country needs." The House has been at a standstill since last week's unprecedented ouster of McCarthy, who was unseated after a revolt by eight far-right members who objected to his handling of the recent fight over government funding. Several moderate Republicans have said they would oppose his candidacy, leaving the future of his bid for the speaker's gavel in doubt.

With Republicans embroiled in conflict, the House Democratic leader, Hakeem Jeffries of New York, has repeatedly called for the creation of a bipartisan governing coalition between Democrats and more moderate Republicans. Even Jordan’s staunchest opponents have rejected the idea of teaming up with Democrats, although that could change if the House remains at a standstill. As of Friday, it remained unclear how Republicans could end the standoff and resume the business of the House. One idea floated by centrist Democrats and embraced by some of Jordan’s critics involved expanding the powers of the acting speaker, the Republican Patrick McHenry of North Carolina, but the plan fizzled.

When former Speaker Kevin McCarthy was booted out by a right-wing rebellion two weeks ago, the world learned that Mr. McHenry’s was the first name on his list. When Mr. McCarthy was booted out by a right-wing rebellion two weeks ago, the world learned that Mr. McHenry was the first name on his list. The vote underscored the deep rifts inside the House Republican conference, but it also signaled how far the group has lurched to the right. Among the 199 Republicans who voted for Mr. Jordan were many mainstream Republicans, including a dozen from districts President Biden won in 2020, all of whom were willing to give Mr. Jordan the post second in line to the presidency. "Our plan this weekend is to get a speaker elected to the House of Representatives as soon as possible so we can help the American people," he said. As the House hurtles into another day of unknowns, the Texas congressional delegation will huddle at 9 a.m.