Does Jordan have the heart to keep fighting?
Conn Carroll
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House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) failed to secure the speaker’s office today when 20 Republicans voted for someone else in the first House floor vote since seven Republicans and every House Democrat voted with Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) to oust Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) from the speaker’s office earlier this month.
To be honest, I have no idea what will happen next. Considering how confident McCarthy was going into the motion to vacate vote, I thought for sure he intended to rerun the same game plan from January: just keep forcing everyone to keep voting until he won. It took 15 ballots, but that is what eventually happened last time.
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But instead of coolly settling in for a long fight, McCarthy gave up and quit. He didn’t even force one new floor vote.
Then Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA) came forward to run for speaker and he eked out a close victory in the conference. But after an ill-advised effort to then rush a floor vote that same day, Scalise too gave up and quit, also without ever forcing a single vote on the floor.
Now it is Jordan’s turn. He, too, won an internal conference vote last week, but he waited to move toward a floor vote till today. Which, as mentioned above, he lost.
The House is now in recess indefinitely, although a spokesperson for Jordan has said, “The House needs a speaker as soon as possible. Expect another round of votes today.”
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I could be wrong, but I feel like either McCarthy or Scalise could be speaker now if they just had the heart to keep forcing floor votes like McCarthy did this January.
If that is Jordan’s plan, I think he’ll eventually win. But it may take longer than 15 votes.