House Speaker Standstill

Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R, OH-4) fell short yesterday in securing enough votes on the first ballot to become the speaker of the House. He won 200 votes in the first round of voting, short of the 217 votes needed to take the gavel. Jordan was nominated last week after House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R, LA-1) withdrew from the race.

Jordan, the founding chairman of the House Freedom Caucus and backed by former President Donald Trump, will face another vote today at 11 am ET. In the first round, 20 Republicans voted for a different candidate, including Scalise, who received seven votes, and Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R, CA-20), who received six. Both Scalise and McCarthy voted for Jordan. All 212 Democrats support House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D, NY-8).

It's the second time in the 118th Congress in which the House is struggling to select a speaker, following the historic 15 ballots it took for McCarthy to become speaker in January. The House has been leaderless for two weeks since McCarthy was ousted.