On Capitol Hill, it does not appear that the third time is the charm. In his third attempt to become Speaker of the House, U.S. Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio failed to garner the 217 votes needed to fill the position. As a result, his bid to become the next Speaker of the House has reportedly stalled.
The most recent Speaker of the House vote took place on Friday, October 20. Former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy received two votes, Rep. Patrick McHenry received six votes, Rep. Steve Scalise received eight votes, Jordan picked up 197 votes and Democratic congressman Hakeem Jeffries earned 210 votes. In a closed-door vote, Republicans also stripped Jordan of the party’s endorsement for Speaker of the House. Despite the setback, Republicans are reportedly working through the weekend to find an electable candidate to fill the role.
“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,” Jordan said.
Looking towards the weekend, the pool of Speaker candidates will likely expand. Reps. Jack Bergman, Kevin Hern and Austin Scott have all expressed an interest in running for Speaker of the House.
