After earlier reports that GOP nominee Jim Jordan was not going to seek a third vote for House speakership, it is looking like the Ohio congressman is not backing down quite yet.
Jordan, who vouched for a plan to expand the powers of Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry early Thursday, is now suggesting that the plan will not work and instead, Jordan will be trying his hand once again at becoming speaker.
According to NPR, Jordan’s decision comes after a nearly four-hour closed-door meeting that was intended to work out a way for McHenry, a Republican from North Carolina, to have the power to bring legislation to the floor until January – as no major bills such as putting a stop to a looming government shutdown or providing significant aid to Israel can be passed with the House’s current state.
Former Mississippi Congressman Gregg Harper, who is close to the situation in D.C., said Thursday morning on The Gallo Show that he does not see a way for Jordan to attain speakership. During Wednesday’s vote, Jordan became the first majority nominee in a century to get less than 200 votes. He needs 217 to win.
“I talked to a number of members across the country last night, and the consensus is that Jim Jordan will not be the next speaker,” Harper said. “There’s really no way that he can work through that to overcome.”
With Jordan trailing the necessary threshold by 18 votes, the conservative firebrand endorsed by both former President Donald Trump and ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy has just hours to garner more support as the House is set to convene Friday at 9 a.m. CT. Democrats are still standing strong behind Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York.
