Rep. Jim Jordan Reenters Race for House Speaker, Leaving Congress in Limbo

The House of Representatives has been without a speaker for more than a week, leaving one of America’s branches of government effectively paralyzed as crises and a government shutdown loom. On Thursday night, Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., withdrew from consideration for the position, just a day after being nominated by House Republicans. In response, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) has announced that he is reentering the race for House speaker.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., has expressed support for Jordan, saying that he is the best candidate to unify the Republican conference. Jordan had narrowly lost to Scalise in an internal party vote Wednesday by a margin of 113 to 99, but several of his backers have said he can better unify the conference than Scalise could.

This is the longest that Congress has been rudderless since 1971, when it took 18 days to elect a speaker. Jordan has confirmed that he is running for the position, and it is unclear when the House will be able to elect a new speaker.

The lack of a speaker has left Congress in a state of limbo, unable to address the looming crises and government shutdown. It is unclear how long it will take for the House to elect a new speaker, and what the outcome of the election will be. In the meantime, the House of Representatives remains without a leader.