Republicans then voted in a closed-door meeting to withdraw Jordan’s nomination.
Washington:
Hardline conservative Republican Jim Jordan’s quest to become speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives ended Friday when his fellow Republicans withdrew their support after a third failed vote in the House of Representatives, lawmakers said.
The secret ballot means the House will have no leader and cannot respond to President Joe Biden’s request for aid to Ukraine and Israel until next week at the earliest.
Opposition to Jordan’s candidacy from his party grew over the week. About 25 Republican lawmakers voted against him in a third round of votes in the House of Representatives on Friday, more than the 22 who opposed him in Wednesday’s runoff. Jordan received 194 votes, well short of the 214 he needed to claim the gavel.
Republicans then voted in a closed-door meeting to withdraw Jordan’s nomination.
As the House ends its third week without a leader, the House is unable to act on a $106 billion national security package that Biden unveiled Friday that would strengthen U.S. border security and send billions to Israel and Ukraine.
“Jim’s a good man. But you know, if there’s no votes, there’s no votes,” said Republican Rep. Greg Murphy, a supporter of Jordan.
Jordan, a close ally of Donald Trump, was a “key player” in the former president’s efforts to overturn Biden’s 2020 election victory, according to a congressional investigation.
“I think there were all kinds of problems with the 2020 election, and I’ve been clear about that,” he said at a news conference before the vote.
The narrow and divided Republican majority has failed to rally behind Jordan or any other candidate to replace Chairman Kevin McCarthy, who was ousted by a handful of party members on October 3. They have also failed to agree on an emergency plan that the chamber will adopt into legislation.
Republicans control the chamber by a narrow 221-212 majority, although some members were absent from Friday’s vote.
Jordan’s vote total was fewer than McCarthy’s in 15 grueling rounds of voting in January.
DEATH THREATS
Jordan’s tough approach appears to have worked against him, as some of his Republican opponents are outraged by harassing phone calls and death threats.
Jordan’s allies say that doesn’t matter. “All of us in Congress are getting death threats. I don’t know if that’s a newsflash to anyone here,” said Republican Rep. Scott Perry.
The Democrats described Jordan as a dangerous extremist and voted unanimously against him.
“Their nominee’s vision is a direct attack on the freedom and rights of the American people, and he has the record to prove it,” Democratic Rep. Katherine Clark said in the House of Representatives.
It is unclear whether Republicans will be able to support any other candidates if Jordan drops out.
Republicans are also divided over a fallback option that could allow the House to tackle Biden’s relief package and other pressing matters, such as spending legislation that would allow the U.S. government to continue functioning beyond a Nov. 17 deadline.
That plan would give more authority to Republican Rep. Patrick McHenry, who temporarily fills the chairman’s chair. Democrats in the House of Representatives and the White House have said they are open to the idea, but Republicans rejected it on Thursday.
‘Small, partisan, angry politics’
Biden called on Republicans in a televised address on Thursday to resolve their differences. “You cannot allow petty, partisan, angry politics to get in the way of our responsibilities as a great nation,” he said.
Investors say the unrest on Capitol Hill is also contributing to market volatility.
Jordan has built his reputation as the leader of that uncompromising right flank. His supporters say this would make him an effective fighter for conservative policies in a city where Democrats control the Senate and the White House.
He helped engineer government shutdowns in 2013 and 2018 and helped bring Republican Chairman John Boehner into retirement in 2015.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
