Rep. Jim Jordan Fails to Garner Necessary Support to Become Next Speaker of the House

Washington, DC – After three ballots, Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio has failed to garner the necessary support to become the next Speaker of the House. Jordan needed to win 217 out of the House’s 432 voting members, but has fallen short of that threshold.

The first round of voting on Tuesday saw Jordan lose 20 Republicans, and he has so far lost enough of his GOP colleagues on the second ballot to require a third ballot to win the speakership if those who voted against him do not change their minds.

The House of Representatives is meeting to vote for the next Speaker after House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) failed to earn more than 218 votes on three separate Tuesday ballots, the first time in 100 years that the Speaker was not elected on the first ballot.

In the hours after the House recessed Tuesday, Jordan was able to flip one of his holdouts: California Rep. Doug LaMalfa cast his first vote for former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, whose removal earlier in the day had opened the door for Jordan to become the next Speaker.

Jordan is now down to a relatively small number of holdouts, and the House of Representatives is on the edge of its seat as the vote for the next Speaker continues. It is unclear if Jordan will be able to win the necessary support to become the next Speaker of the House.