The bid of Rep. Jim Jordan to be the spokesperson US House of Representatives failed Wednesday for the second time in as many days, a devastating blow to the Ohio Republican’s viability as a candidate to lead the chamber.
Jordan’s failure to secure the gavel after two rounds of voting has cast further doubt on whether House Republicans have any viable path to electing a new speaker, short of finding a consensus candidate who can also win the Democrats.
Jordan faced heavy criticism from his own party in the first round of voting Tuesday afternoon, with 20 Republicans voting against him.
On Wednesday’s second ballot, that number climbed to 22.
The House will not hold another ballot on Wednesday but will hold votes on Thursday, a source familiar with Jordan’s plans told NBC News.
Jordan plans to stay in the speaker’s race despite losing two consecutive votes, the congressman’s office confirmed to CNBC: “We will continue,” said Russell Dye, Jordan’s spokesman.
Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma, who formally nominated Jordan for the second ballot, blames the current turmoil on the Republican faction that ousted former Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
“Those who do this, whether intentionally or not, will put Congress in a state of chaos and the nation in a state of uncertainty,” Cole said in his nomination speech before the House.
“The last two weeks have borne out that observation,” the Oklahoman said.
Speaker of the House Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry (R-NC) gavels during the session before the second round of voting to elect a new Speaker of the House on the floor of the House of Representatives at the US Capitol in Washington, US, October 18, 2023.
Elizabeth Frantz | Reuters
Jordan’s failure on the second ballot could push Republicans to empower Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina, who has served as interim speaker since McCarthy’s ouster.
Plan of Rep. Dave Joyce of Ohio to introduce a resolution to elect McHenry as speaker pro tempore after Jordan faces his second ballot, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to NBC News.
“After two weeks without a Speaker of the House and without a clear candidate with 217 votes in the Republican conference, it’s time to look at other options,” Joyce told NBC News. “By empowering Patrick McHenry as Speaker Pro Tempore, we can protect our ally Israel until a new Speaker is elected.”
Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania has already introduced a resolution to expand McHenry’s currently limited powers until the GOP can settle on a permanent speaker.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York has indicated that Democrats are open to throwing their support behind McHenry to end the current impasse.
The House has been facing a leadership vacuum for more than two weeks now, after eight hard-right Republicans led by Rep. Florida’s Matt Gaetz orchestrated McCarthy’s ouster in an unprecedented no-confidence vote in history.
House GOP lawmakers have repeatedly failed to come together on a candidate to replace McCarthy. Scalise was the party’s original nominee, but the majority leader from Louisiana was forced to pull the plug last week after it became clear he did not have enough Republican support.
Reporters wait as House Republicans decide their next steps after US Representative Jim Jordan (R-OH) failed in the first vote for House Speaker at the US Capitol in Washington, October 17, 2023.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
The chaos in the House is now set against the backdrop of spiraling violence in the Middle East, after Hamas killed hundreds of civilians in Israel and retaliatory strikes by the Netanyahu government caused severe human suffering in Gaza.
A strike against a Gaza hospital on Tuesday reportedly killed hundreds of civilians, with Palestinians and the wider Arab world holding Israel responsible as Netanyahu’s government claimed a stray rocket fired by Islamist militants hit the medical facility.
The hospital strike threatens to escalate the devastating war into a wider regional conflict.
Congress is in a state of paralysis, unable to respond to the Middle East crisis until the House elects a speaker. President Joe Biden, who traveled to Israel on Wednesday, urged Congress to pass emergency security assistance to support Israel.
— CNBC’s Emily Wilkins contributed to this report from Washington
