The Atlantic

Jim Jordan Could Have a Long Fight Ahead

After losing his first speakership vote on the House floor, Jordan finds himself in the same position that Kevin McCarthy was in at the start of the year.
Source: Anna Moneymaker / Getty

Updated at 3:46 p.m. ET on October 17, 2023

On Friday, immediately after nominating Representative Jim Jordan as their latest candidate for speaker, House Republicans took a second, secret-ballot vote. The question put to each lawmaker was simple: Would you support Jordan in a public vote on the House floor?

The results were not encouraging for the pugnacious Ohioan. Nearly a quarter of the House Republican conference—55 members—said they would not back Jordan. Given the GOP’s threadbare majority, he could afford to lose no more than three Republicans on the vote. Jordan’s bid seemed to be fizzling even faster than that of Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana, whose nomination earlier in the week lasted barely a day before in the face of opposition from within the party.

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