Jim Jordan loses second ballot vote in House speakership bid

Twenty-two Republicans voted against Rep. Jim Jordan during his second attempt to become speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday. That number reflects Jordan’s loss of two key Republican votes since the previous ballot attempt on Tuesday.  Jordan needs 18 more votes to win the speakership, requiring him to gather nearly unanimous support among Republicans. As of Wednesday, the House had been without a speaker for 15 days. The House was brought to a standstill on Oct. 3, when then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted by eight Republicans and all Democrats.

What are the next steps? A third vote could take place on Thursday, but it was not set in stone as of Wednesday evening. Some Republicans propose granting Rep. Patrick McHenry, the temporary speaker of the House, additional powers to reopen the House and conduct routine business.

Dig deeper: Read Eric Teetsel’s column in WORLD Opinions on the House Speaker election.