UPDATE, 2:20 p.m.: Jim Jordan’s bid for House Speaker has been delayed for another day.
The next vote is now scheduled for Wednesday at 11am. This is an indication that Jordan and his allies are still struggling to win over the objectors.
“We continue. We had great conversations, especially with our colleagues,” Jordan told CNN’s Manu Raju. He said: “We have to get a speaker and it can’t be a deal with the Democrats.” The American people don’t want that. They elected Republicans by a majority – a small majority, I understand that.”
EARLIER: The House of Representatives may be facing déjà vu as Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) failed to win the presidency on the first ballot.
Jordan received 200 votes, while House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries received 212 votes. About 217 votes were needed to assume the chairmanship, as the statutes require a majority of the members present.
At the Republican conference, twenty members voted for others. The House of Representatives then went into recess. A new vote is expected today.
Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), who voted for Jordan, told reporters after the vote that he believed a pressure campaign against Jordan’s Republican opponents had backfired. Fox News host Sean Hannity and other right-wing media figures have called for votes for the Ohio congressman.
“Some of it backfired,” Donalds said. “In every organization, every team or every locker room, you have to deal with everyone differently. You can’t have the same style for everyone, because everyone responds to different things.”
He said the mood among Republicans in the chamber was “probably a little somber because we’re going through this again.” Tensions among members are high. There is frustration among many members.”
Among those who refused to vote for Jordan were Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO), who cast his vote for Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN), the House Majority Leader. Buck was also among eight Republicans who voted nearly two weeks ago to impeach Kevin McCarthy. Buck told CNN he didn’t like Emmer, but “I thought it was the worst job in America.” Mike Rowe wouldn’t want to do that for his TV show. It’s a terrible job.” Buck previously indicated he wanted Jordan to make a statement that Donald Trump did not win the 2020 presidential election. “I also want to make sure that no one is involved in the activities around January 6,” Buck said later in the afternoon on CNN.
McCarthy faced similar resistance on his first ballot in January and then picked up another fourteen votes before finally being elected leader.
With every Republican vote against Jordan, Democrats grumbled among themselves as they rallied behind their House Leader, Hakeem Jeffries.
“What we need — and Jordan clearly does not represent that — … is a constructive person who wants the institution to work,” said Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD).
Rep. House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar (D-CA) branded Jordan a “rabble rouser” for nominating Jeffries. “Even the leaders of his own party called him a legislative terrorist,” Aguilar said, referring to former House Speaker John Boehner’s characterization of Jordan.
In her nomination speech, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), chairwoman of the House Republican Conference, said Jordan is an “America First Warrior who wins the toughest battles.”
“Jim is the voice of the American people, who have felt voiceless for too long,” she said. In her speech she also said that she “remembers the book of Esther”. For a time like this.”
EARLIER: Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) is trying to garner enough support at the Republican convention to win the House of Representatives today, ending the ongoing drama of division within the Republican Party that has hampered the work of the House. Congress has effectively stalled on doing so.
The news networks avoided constant coverage of the war between Israel and Hamas and focused on the election of the speaker, a rare example of real tension in a vote like last January, when Kevin McCarthy endured 15 roll calls before the vote decided the position of top management won. .
However, unlike this spectacle, access to the camera at today’s call is limited. There were about half a dozen media-packed cameras from the chamber that gave viewers the traditional House-controlled still broadcast, which typically focused on the speaker or a wide-angle view of the action. Photographers are still allowed.
With 432 members present, Jordan needs 217 votes. All 212 Democrats were present, meaning Jordan has a very narrow lead. All Democrats are expected to side with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who sat across from his predecessor Nancy Pelosi.
Jordan, a darling of the right-wing media ecosphere, has spent recent days trying to convince the more moderate parts of the Republican conference that his flamethrower days are a thing of the past and that he has the organizational skills to unite them. But as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Jordan used his platform to attack Joe Biden, social media platforms and liberals in general, all in a tone of sustained outrage.
He was also a staunch defender of Donald Trump, who worked to overturn the 2020 election results. According to the commission’s Jan. 6 findings, Jordan attended meetings that discussed a strategy to try to get then-Vice President Mike Pence to block the counting of electoral votes in states where Biden won.
The January 6 committee’s vice-chairman, former Rep. Liz Cheney, tweeted last week that Jordan “was involved in Trump’s conspiracy to steal the election and seize power; He called on Pence to refuse to count legal votes. If Rs appoints Jordan as chairman, they will abandon the constitution. They will lose the majority in the House of Representatives, and they will deserve it.”
But Jordan managed to win over some lawmakers who had previously been hesitant to support him — or had previously insisted they wouldn’t. Jordan’s supporters pressured the objectors to join, as did the right-wing media and Fox News host Sean Hannity. The producers of his show reportedly sent emails to the remaining members in what was seen as an attempt to get them to support Jordan. During his show Monday night, Hannity urged GOPers to close the case, saying, “I make no apologies for doing my job and seeking answers from these elected officials.”
Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) told Jordan’s Washington Post, “He’s the best person to keep us from a government shutdown and the best person to keep us away from conservative media as we face a government shutdown .”
In the audience, Jordan, wearing a suit jacket, sat in a row right in front of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who endorsed him.
Source: Deadline
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
