Posted on Oct 15, 2023
Three ways Republican House Speaker chaos ends on Capitol Hill
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A day after one Republican nominee to be Speaker of the House of Representatives withdrew from the running, another with equally long odds is making a fresh bid for the gavel.
Jim Jordan, a leader of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus, won a Republican vote to be the nominee after his colleague Steve Scalise stepped aside on Thursday.
But it is unclear if Mr Jordan has the majority support needed in the full House.
In a closed door voting on Friday, Mr Jordan defeated Congressman Austin Scott of Georgia by a vote of 124 to 81.
But the Georgia lawmaker had little name recognition and was seen as even more of a longshot.
Ten days have now passed since the Speaker's chair was vacated after an unprecedented vote to oust Kevin McCarthy from the job.
The vacuum at the very top of the US government has left the lower chamber of Congress unable to carry out its most basic functions.
What happens now?
Jim Jordan, a leader of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus, won a Republican vote to be the nominee after his colleague Steve Scalise stepped aside on Thursday.
But it is unclear if Mr Jordan has the majority support needed in the full House.
In a closed door voting on Friday, Mr Jordan defeated Congressman Austin Scott of Georgia by a vote of 124 to 81.
But the Georgia lawmaker had little name recognition and was seen as even more of a longshot.
Ten days have now passed since the Speaker's chair was vacated after an unprecedented vote to oust Kevin McCarthy from the job.
The vacuum at the very top of the US government has left the lower chamber of Congress unable to carry out its most basic functions.
What happens now?
Three ways Republican House Speaker chaos ends on Capitol Hill
Posted from bbc.com
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Posted 7 mo ago
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Why don't they draft Liz Cheney. Hate her politics but she won'y sell the nation out like the rest of them
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I don’t see Jordan or Scalise getting to 217, but not for the reasons being suggested by the media.
There is a long running dispute between JJ and SS. It has to do with the philosophical change of direction in the RSC after JJ left chairmanship (term limited). SS took over as Chair after JJ departed and there was a significant disagreement about the direction and strategy at RSC. There were many in the Jordan camp (and likewise for Scalise) that vowed to never support [the other guy] on anything. This is all ironic that the Speaker’s race came back to the very same two with deep disagreements.
My guess is that someone else gets the nod and it isn’t so polarizing.
There is a long running dispute between JJ and SS. It has to do with the philosophical change of direction in the RSC after JJ left chairmanship (term limited). SS took over as Chair after JJ departed and there was a significant disagreement about the direction and strategy at RSC. There were many in the Jordan camp (and likewise for Scalise) that vowed to never support [the other guy] on anything. This is all ironic that the Speaker’s race came back to the very same two with deep disagreements.
My guess is that someone else gets the nod and it isn’t so polarizing.
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."The exit routes
1. Jordan - or another Republican - gets 217 votes
As frustration over the stalemate grows, some lawmakers see a path for Mr Jordan to become the new Speaker after the entire House votes.
As he announced his bid on Friday, the Ohio congressman said he feels "real good" about his prospects.
Whether he can gain enough votes from fellow Republicans, however, is unclear. In an earlier secret ballot on Wednesday that saw Mr Scalise briefly become the nominee, Mr Jordan earned 99 votes to Mr Scalise's 113.
Florida congressman Mario Díaz-Balart voiced doubts to reporters on Friday about Mr Jordan's ability to win the gavel and, if even he does become Speaker, function effectively.
He pointed to Mr Jordan's failure after losing the internal ballot on Wednesday to convince his own supporters to switch their support to Mr Scalise.
Mr Díaz-Balart said: "If you can't get your closest friends [to follow you], it begs the question: can you do anything? Can you get anybody to follow you on really difficult questions?"
One of Mr Jordan's backers, Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, said she hoped party members can coalesce around a Speaker and bring it to a vote on the House floor "immediately".
She criticised those who have said they would never vote for Mr Jordan. "Saying 'never' anything is just not the way to go", said Ms Greene on Friday.
Some moderate lawmakers have expressed reluctance to vote for Mr Jordan, a conservative hardliner backed by former President Donald Trump.
Others have argued that Mr Jordan is not adept at fundraising - Speakers are expected to get donors to open their chequebooks for the party.
If the House Judiciary Committee chairman fails, more names are likely to be floated in the coming days.
They include Tom Emmer, the third-highest ranking House Republican, and Kevin Hern, chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee.
In the meantime, some representatives have said they are at a loss.
"I have no earthly idea," Missouri's Mark Alford told NBC. "We're a ship that doesn't have a rudder right now."...
..."The exit routes
1. Jordan - or another Republican - gets 217 votes
As frustration over the stalemate grows, some lawmakers see a path for Mr Jordan to become the new Speaker after the entire House votes.
As he announced his bid on Friday, the Ohio congressman said he feels "real good" about his prospects.
Whether he can gain enough votes from fellow Republicans, however, is unclear. In an earlier secret ballot on Wednesday that saw Mr Scalise briefly become the nominee, Mr Jordan earned 99 votes to Mr Scalise's 113.
Florida congressman Mario Díaz-Balart voiced doubts to reporters on Friday about Mr Jordan's ability to win the gavel and, if even he does become Speaker, function effectively.
He pointed to Mr Jordan's failure after losing the internal ballot on Wednesday to convince his own supporters to switch their support to Mr Scalise.
Mr Díaz-Balart said: "If you can't get your closest friends [to follow you], it begs the question: can you do anything? Can you get anybody to follow you on really difficult questions?"
One of Mr Jordan's backers, Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, said she hoped party members can coalesce around a Speaker and bring it to a vote on the House floor "immediately".
She criticised those who have said they would never vote for Mr Jordan. "Saying 'never' anything is just not the way to go", said Ms Greene on Friday.
Some moderate lawmakers have expressed reluctance to vote for Mr Jordan, a conservative hardliner backed by former President Donald Trump.
Others have argued that Mr Jordan is not adept at fundraising - Speakers are expected to get donors to open their chequebooks for the party.
If the House Judiciary Committee chairman fails, more names are likely to be floated in the coming days.
They include Tom Emmer, the third-highest ranking House Republican, and Kevin Hern, chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee.
In the meantime, some representatives have said they are at a loss.
"I have no earthly idea," Missouri's Mark Alford told NBC. "We're a ship that doesn't have a rudder right now."...
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