Jordan vows to keep fight going through weekend to elect speaker ‘as soon as possible’
Julia Johnson
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Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) announced his intention to continue his pursuit of the House speakership on Friday, adding that he’s been having discussions with the 22 Republican defectors who voted against him.
“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,” he said, signaling the conference’s intent not to adjourn until a speaker is elected.
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“I got 200 votes, the speaker designee, from my colleagues,” Jordan told reporters, justifying his choice to continue his bid for the role. “The sooner we can get this accomplished, the better for the American people who expect us to work for them and for our friends and allies.”
Jordan lost two floor votes to become speaker on Tuesday and Wednesday, and a third vote is expected Friday.
Since former Speaker Kevin McCarthy‘s (R-CA) historic ousting from the post following Rep. Matt Gaetz’s (R-FL) forcing a vote on his motion to vacate, the House has been without a leader for 17 days.
After losing his first floor vote with 20 GOP defectors, which was more than his team had estimated, Jordan has been working to convince the holdouts to support him. However, by his second vote, while two defectors flipped to support him, four members who voted for him initially switched to vote against him.
Additionally, those who have voted against Jordan have claimed they and their families have received threatening messages and credible death threats. They have also indicated they won’t be swayed by bullying or threats.
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One defector, Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), who represents a district won by President Joe Biden in 2020 and is thus vulnerable in 2024, predicted to Politico, “I think he’s probably going to lose a handful more votes.”
With no end in sight for the speaker battle, one Jordan supporter left the country, with Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) flying to Israel for a reported fact-finding mission.