Jim Jordan’s Big Day Ends in Chaos and Failure

“It may look like the same game, but it’s not the same game,” insisted Representative Carlos Gimenez, who supported McCarthy in the vote, comparing Jordan’s iffy support to the 15 votes for the former speaker. Gimenez expressed frustration with the hardball tactics used by Jordan’s supporters to attempt to garner support. (Consider: the aggressive support for Jordan’s bid by conservative media, including some cheerleading by Sean Hannity.)

Even Republicans supporting Jordan acknowledge that the ongoing chaos has splintered the conference. Representative Byron Donalds, who initially resisted supporting McCarthy in January, said that he had thought Republicans were slowly growing to a point where they could find consensus. “From a professional standpoint, we were getting to a place where members can get the job done,” Donalds told reporters after the first vote. However, he continued, those relationships had been “damaged by the motion to vacate”—the official term for the process that eventually led to McCarthy losing his hard-won gavel. When asked how the temperament was among House Republicans now, Donalds replied: “Not good.”

It was clear by Tuesday that fatigue had set in among Republicans. “We all want to choose a speaker. And I’m tired of this,” Diaz-Balart said. Representative Bryan Steil said that it is “broadly frustrating” that the House was focused on electing a new speaker, rather than working to keep the government funded or send aid to Israel.