House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, has lost a second-round vote to win the speaker’s gavel on Wednesday, calling into doubt whether he can ever be elected.
Twenty-two Republicans voted against Jordan on this round, after 20 did so on Tuesday during the initial vote. Jordan needs to secure a majority threshold of 217 votes to win.
Reps. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., Drew Ferguson, R-Ga., Marianette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, and Pete Stauber, R-Minn., all joined Jordan’s growing opposition, having voted for him in the first round and then for other candidates on Wednesday.
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Two holdouts from the previous day, Reps. Doug LaMalfa, R-Calif., and Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., voted for Jordan on Wednesday.
Asked what his next move was, Jordan said he would “keep talking to members.”
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“We don’t know when we’re going to have the next vote, but we want to have conversations with our colleagues,” Jordan said.
Even before the vote, the Ohio Republican’s allies conceded that he could likely lose support on the second round but remained optimistic that he would pull through.
“Just so there’s no surprises: Jordan will likely have FEWER votes today than yesterday — as I expected,” House Freedom Caucus Chairman Scott Perry, R-Pa., said on X. “This is the fight — which Jim Jordan represents — to end the status quo, and it ain’t easy…Stay strong and keep praying.”‘
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But some Republicans have suggested a second Jordan loss could mean it’s time to evaluate other options.
“If the number keeps going up then that’s a great sign, and we should continue to try to build upon that consensus until we can reach the 217,” said Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., a Jordan supporter.
“And if it goes down, well then, we have to go back to the drawing board and have a conversation about what our other options are.”