Jim Jordan Rejected as Speaker in Initial House Vote

Republicans denied Rep. Jim Jordan the House speakership on Tuesday in the first floor election for the vacant role since Kevin McCarthy was voted out two weeks ago.

Jordan, a conservative Ohio Republican who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, fell 16 votes short of the 217 needed to win the speaker's gavel, at least on the first ballot. He had 200 votes but will start with at least 201 later, as one of his supporters was absent for the first ballot.

Jordan is expected to force votes on subsequent ballots in an effort to wear his opponents down and win them over, according to a source familiar with his thinking. It is unclear when the next vote will occur.

But for now, as it has for two full weeks, the House remains without a permanent speaker, unable to pass legislation as the government is set to run out of funding in a month and with U.S. allies Israel and Ukraine at war and seeking aid.

In total, 20 Republicans did not vote for Jordan on the first ballot. Most voted for either McCarthy of California or House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Lousiana, who beat Jordan in the first party nominating contest for speaker before dropping out after it was clear he did not have enough support to win a floor election.

All 212 Democrats voted for their top leader, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., to be speaker.

House Republicans nominated Jordan, 59, as their next speaker designee on Friday, but several declined to back him because his supporters were among those who ousted McCarthy and blocked Scalise, who had the GOP nomination locked up before Jordan did.

Jordan's decision to take his bid to the floor knowing he lacked enough votes to win — even after saying publicly during his campaign against Scalise that he did not want to do that — also irked many Republicans.

McCarthy received six votes in Tuesday's floor election from GOP Reps. Don Bacon of Nebraska, Lori Chavez-DeRemer of Oregon, Carlos Gimenez of Florida, Jen Kiggans of Virgina, Doug LaMalfa of California and Mike Lawler of New York.

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, speaks briefly to reporters as he departs a House Republican Conference meeting at the U.S. Capitol October 16, 2023 in Washington, DC. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Gimenez said he will never vote for Jordan and that it was time for the GOP to try finding another candidate.

“I think we need to move forward as a conference and find somebody that we can all coalesce around,” he said after the vote.

Seven Republicans voted for Scalise: Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart and John Rutherford of Florida, Tony Gonzales and Kay Granger of Texas, Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania, Mike Simpson of Idaho and Steve Womack of Arkansas.

Other Republicans not voting for Jordan included New Yorkers Anthony D'Esposito, Andrew Garabino and Nick LaLota, who all voted for former Rep. Lee Zeldin.

Colorado Rep. Ken Buck voted for House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn.; Texas Rep. Jake Ellzey voted for Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Calif.; Michigan Rep. John James voted for Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla.; and Indiana Rep. Victoria Spartz voted for Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky.

One Republican was absent for the vote. Rep. Gus Bilirakis of Florida, who was out of town attending his late mother-in-law's funeral, is "fully supportive" of Jordan and scheduled to return to Capitol Hill early Tuesday evening, a spokesperson said.

U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) (C) listens as the House of Representatives votes on a Speaker of the House at the U.S. Capitol Building on October 17, 2023 in Washington, DC. Win McNamee/Getty Images

House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., formally nominated Jordan on the floor, calling him a "patriot" and a "warrior."

"Jim Jordan will be America’s speaker for such a time as this," Stefanik said, citing numerous issues Republicans are focused on like inflation, violent crime, open borders and the weaponization of government.

House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., nominated Jeffries and attacked Jordan as someone who spent his entire career trying to force government shutdowns and wasting taxpayer dollars on "baseless investigations."

Aguilar said it's not too late for Republicans to work with Democrats on a bipartisan path forward.

"Let’s work together," he said. "Let’s elect a speaker who will reach out a hand of bipartisanship."

Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., told reporters before the vote that "there's all the reason in the world" to believe Jordan clinches the gavel eventually.

"Like everything in the 118th [Congress] it probably isn't going to be a straight line or a very easy climb, but I know he's working hard," Johnson, a Jordan ally, said.

Many of the current holdouts strike Johnson as "very reasonable people" rather than chaos agents.

"They are less opposed to the idea of Jim Jordan as speaker and more concerned about how we can get this place back to work properly. That means there's a path forward," he said, adding that "a deal is possible."