Jim Jordan again fails to be elected speaker of the House of Representatives

2023-10-18 22:58:38, Kosova & Bota CNA

Republican lawmaker Jim Jordan failed to get the necessary votes to be elected speaker of the House of Representatives after a runoff vote held on Wednesday, failing to convince his opponents in the Republican caucus to support him.

If elected, Mr. Jordan would replace former chairman Kevin McCarthy, who was fired from this position by the Republicans themselves.

For the second day in a row, legislator Jim Jordan, who has received the support of former President Donald Trump, failed to secure the 217 votes needed to become president, as 22 Republicans and all 212 Democrats voted against him.

But even after this failure, Mr. Jordan said that he has no plans to retire.

Jim Jordan, candidate to run the House of Representatives
October 14, 08:45

He has vowed to stay in the mayoral race despite the second round seeing a drop in support. On Tuesday, 20 Republicans voted against him, while on Wednesday, 22 did not support him.

Mr. Jordan said he would meet with each of the lawmakers individually and did not know when he would ask for a third round of voting. On Wednesday, he needed 18 votes to become Speaker of the Chamber.

The House of Representatives has now entered its 16th day without a leader, suspending Congress, paralyzing the response to concerns related to the conflict in the Middle East and Ukraine, or taking action to avoid a partial government shutdown due to budget clashes.

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October 4, 22:15

Legislator Jim Jordan's vote total of 199 was less than the 200 Republican votes he secured on Tuesday's first ballot. This figure is even less than Kevin McCarthy managed to secure in any of the 15 rounds of voting that led to his election as speaker of the House.

Although Mr. Jordan says he will stay in the race, other Republicans have said it's time to consider another option, one that would give more power to Acting Speaker Patrick McHenry, who serves as interim speaker. .

"I don't see the outcome changing," lawmaker Mike Lawler told reporters. "We must empower Patrick McHenry to serve as interim president so that we can do the job we have been entrusted to do by the American people."

The idea has been floated by both Republicans and Democrats, as well as two former Republican Speakers of the House, Newt Gingrich and John Boehner.

Under a proposal put forward by Legislator Mike Kelly, Mr. McHenry would be appointed as chairman until November 17 or until a permanent chairman is chosen. Such a proposal could give Mr. Jordan even more time to secure support to be elected to the position of head of the House of Representatives./ VOA