Jordan says he will push for third House speaker vote

U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, announced his decision Thursday afternoon, only hours after he said he would support granting temporary increased powers to Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., the speaker pro tempore of the U.S. House of Representatives. But Jordan said Thursday afternoon that the GOP will not sponsor a resolution to give McHenry more power. More than two weeks have passed since Rep. Kevin McCarthy was ousted as House speaker.

Why did Jordan change his mind? Jordan spoke Thursday afternoon with the 22 Republicans who opposed him in the latest vote. Those conversations took place in a meeting that lasted over an hour. Several members said after the meeting they had not changed their minds. Jordan’s office said the next speaker’s vote is set for 10 a.m. on Friday.

Dig deeper: Read Carolina Lumetta and Leo Briceno’s article in The Stew about the Republicans’ struggle to elect a House speaker.