Jordan Loses Speaker Bid on Second Try

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) (C) talks with fellow lawmakers and staff as the House of Representatives meets to elect a new Speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol Building on Oct. 17, 2023. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) will try on Oct. 18 for a second time to become second in line to the presidency.

Mr. Jordan failed on Oct. 17 to become speaker after 20 House Republicans blocked his path to the gavel. A scheduled 6 p.m. ET vote that day was canceled.

Below are the live updates. All times below are Eastern.

No More Votes Today–4:20 p.m.

No more votes today, according to a notice from the office of Majority Tom Emmer. The next votes are expected tomorrow at noon.

House GOP Cancels Meeting–2:58 p.m.

A meeting for the House GOP has been canceled as it is unknown whether Mr. Jordan will try a third time to become speaker – despite his opposition growing.

As a bonus, there was leftover pizza for reporters.

GOP Congressman on How Long McHenry Would be Pro Tempore—1:38 p.m.

The House GOP is scheduled to meet shortly to decide whether to go forth with a resolution to make Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) speaker pro tempore and, if so, for how long, according to Rep. David Joyce (R-Ohio) who is expected to put forth such a resolution.

Jordan Undecided on Third Round—1:33 p.m.

Mr. Jordan, a former wrestler, told reporters after again losing a vote for House speaker that he is undecided if he would go a third round of voting — a decision that is up to him as speaker-designate.

Jordan Supporter Wants Speaker Pro Tempore—1:33 p.m.

Following the second round of voting for speaker, Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-N.Y.), who voted for Mr. Jordan, told reporters the House should make Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) speaker pro tempore, giving him basically the same powers as an elected speaker.

House in Recess Subject to the Call of the Chair –1:19 p.m.

With Mr. Jordan failing to get the needed 217 votes to become speaker, House Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) gaveled the House into a recess subject to the call of the chair.

Jordan Loses as More Republicans Vote Against Him – 12:56 p.m.

Two more Republicans joined in GOP opposition to Mr. Jordan, thereby blocking him from getting the gavel on the second ballot.

There were 199 votes for Mr. Jordan, 213 for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and 22 for other candidates ranging from former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to former Rep. Candice Miller (R-Mich.).

The 22 Republicans who voted against Mr. Jordan were:

Reps. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.), Ken Buck (R-Colo.), Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.), Anthony D'Esposito (R-N.Y.), Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.), Jake Ellzey (R-Texas), Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.), Drew Ferguson (R-Ga.), Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.), Kay Granger (R-Texas), John James (R-Mich.), Mike Kelly (R-Pa.), Jen Kiggans (R-Va.), Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.), Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), John Rutherford (R-Fla.), Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), Pete Stauber (R-Minn.), and Steve Womack (R-Ark.)

Ms. Miller-Meeks and Mr. Ferguson were the two new GOP votes against Mr. Jordan

Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.) flipped and voted for Mr. Jordan.

Jordan on Verge of Losing Second Ballot–12:19 p.m.

Mr. Jordan appears to have lost the second ballot for speaker as there are at least five GOP defections, one more than he could afford.

Reps. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.), Ken Buck (R-Colo.), Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.) and Anthony D'Esposito (R-N.Y.) voted against Mr. Jordan.

Vote Underway–12:14 p.m.

The second ballot has begun. A roll call is being taken as the winner needs 217 votes to become speaker. One GOP defection already: Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) casting his vote for Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the previous speaker of the House who was ousted on Oct. 3 through a motion to vacate introduced by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.).

Jeffries Being Nominated–12:07 p.m.

House Democrat Chairman Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) nominated House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) to be speaker.

He said that Mr. Jeffries has “extended the hand of bipartisanship for a path forward.”

Jordan Being Nominated–12:01 p.m.

Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), chairman of the powerful House Rules Committee, is giving the nominating speech for Mr. Jordan to be speaker.

“It ought to be a pretty easy decision,” he said, noting that America is in “a moment of crisis.”

He said that Mr. Jordan has shown the ability to move legislation along. Mr. Cole gave other pieces of praise for him such as saying that Mr. Jordan will stand up for Israel, which has been under attack by the terrorist group Hamas.

One Member Absent–11:59 a.m.

A quorum has been established with one member, Rep. Donald Payne (D-N.J.), absent. Mr. Jordan can only afford to lose four Republicans. There is 232 members present: 221 Republicans and 211 Democrats.

House is Gaveled In–11:16 a.m.

The House is taking a roll call in order to establish a quorum ahead of the second ballot in the speaker’s race.

Jordan May Lose Votes–11:06 a.m.

Expect Mr. Jordan to lose votes in the second round of balloting, a House Republican told The Epoch Times.

Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, which Mr. Jordan once led, acknowledged publicly that Mr. Jordan will get more defections than he did on Oct. 17. He got 20 GOP defections on the first ballot.

“Just so there’s no surprises: Jordan will likely have FEWER votes today than yesterday—as I expected. This is the fight - which Jim Jordan represents - to end the status quo, and it ain’t easy…Stay strong and keep praying,” posted Mr. Perry on X, formerly Twitter.

Jordan Faces Uphill Battle–10:03 a.m.

Mr. Jordan cannot afford to lose more than four Republicans to win the gavel. The GOP has just 221 votes in the House, while the Democrats have 212.

Yesterday, 20 Republicans voted against him in the first round of voting: Reps. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.), Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.), Anthony D'Esposito (R-N.Y.), Tony Gonzales (R-Texas), Kay Granger (R-Texas), Jake Ellzey (R-Texas), Mario Díaz-Balart (R-Fla.), Carlos Giménez (R-Fla.), Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.), Jen Kiggans (R-Va.), John Rutherford (R-Fla.), Ken Buck (R-Co.), John James (R-Mich.), Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.), Victoria Spartz (R-Ind.), Mike Simpson (R-Idaho), Mike Kelly (R-Pa.) and Steve Womack (R-Ark.). They voted for others from Mr. McCarthy to Mr. Scalise to former Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.).

Of the above, only one has indicated that they will flip their vote: Mr. LaMalfa, who is loyal to Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), said on Oct. 17 that he will vote for Mr. Jordan in the second round.

Ms. Spartz posted on X, formerly Twitter, “I plan to vote present or propose another name, if needed procedurally, until Jim reconciles with members.”

Congressman Seeks to Empower Speaker Pro Tempore–9:32 a.m.

Rep. David Joyce (R-Ohio) is expected to introduce a motion to make Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) an elected one as he is currently an appointed speaker pro tempore. Currently, Mr. McHenry only has the power to oversee the election of the speaker.

As an elected speaker pro tempore, Mr. McHenry would have almost the same capabilities as an elected speaker, for example, bringing legislation to the House floor. This would allow for the House to pass pressing measures, including U.S. assistance to Israel, which has come under attack by Hamas, and funding bills to avert a shutdown slated for mid-November.

Mark Tapscott and Ryusuke Abe contributed to this report.