Jim Jordan's Inability to Unite the Directionless GOP | Vanity Fair

Written by Abigail Tracy

In a disappointing turn of events for Jim Jordan, the Ohio legislator failed to secure the House Speakership for the second consecutive day. Garnering only 199 votes in favor of his bid for House Speaker, he did not meet the majority requirement of 217 votes on Wednesday afternoon. Despite Jordan and his supporters' concerted effort to woo reluctant Republicans, the staunch MAGA supporter saw a decline in GOP backing compared to the previous day. The second round of voting resulted in a total of 22 Republicans voting against Jordan, significantly weakening his chances for the Speakership.

Following the unsuccessful second round, Jordan and his team showed no signs of backing down. “We’re persisting,” Russell Dye, Jordan’s spokesperson, said Wednesday. "We'll keep engaging our colleagues in discussions," Jordan added, suggesting his intent to push for a third ballot, which might start by Thursday noon. However, despite Jordan's determination to continue the battle, his detractors— and some supporters—started contemplating alternative routes towards operational governance.

Many Republicans have supported the idea of expanding the role of Patrick McHenry as Speaker pro tempore, to allow the House to work whilst the Republicans attempt to rectify the situation. "Considering we've been without a House Speaker for two weeks and no obvious candidate has secured 217 votes within the Republican conference, we must consider all feasible alternatives," stated Ohio's Dave Joyce, who has pondered introducing a resolution to enhance McHenry's restricted powers. A similar resolution has already been introduced by another Republican, Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania.

However, the idea of expanding McHenry's powers saw opposition from others. “The House was intended to elect a Speaker through the members' roll call vote, not through a resolution on encountering an obstacle,” Byron Donalds stated to Vanity Fair on Wednesday. “I believe it's crucial to preserve the traditional method of choosing the Speaker. And we are required to uphold that."

Several other GOP legislators voiced their frustration. “Initially, I was of the opinion that we should not have left the conference until we had confirmed who had procured 217 votes and I contributed to the making of that rule. That, however, wasn't the chosen strategy and that is acceptable. It's the way things happens,” Marc Molinaro informed journalists on Wednesday afternoon. "Due to this reason, we once again resort to private discussions. I believe this heightens the urgency to empower the Speaker pro tempore in order to resume our work."

McHenry, on the other hand, brushed aside rumors of his expanded powers. “My aim is to support Jim Jordan for the Speaker’s position, and that's what we'll do," he said to reporters before the second round of votes. When asked if he would endorse a resolution to enlarge his responsibilities as Speaker pro tempore, McHenry was dismissive. “I am voting for Jim Jordan,” was his reply.

Meanwhile, all 212 Democrat members unanimosly supported Hakeem Jeffries for the position. Jeffries informed CNN’s Manu Raju that the caucus had not yet decided whether it would support a resolution to give McHenry more power, as stopping Jordan was their primary concern. “Our objective is to prevent the obvious threat to our democracy symbolising MAGA extremism from becoming the Speaker,” he said.

Jordan, a key Donald Trump supporter and ardent Fox News guest, has left quite an impact within the Republican ranks. However, his struggles point to the latest turbulence in the fierce leadership battle that has consumed the House Republican caucus since Kevin McCarthy's historic ejection. Unsurprisingly, Jordan's bid was far from the first choice for Scalise and McCarthy's followers. After a last-minute challenge by Austin Scott, Jordan barely secured his party's nomination with a 124 to 81 vote—a sharp contrast from the 217 votes he needed. In a subsequent vote to determine support for Jordan in a floor vote, 55 Republicans declared they would still oppose him.

Despite this less-than-ideal-math, Jordan projected confidence after his nomination. “I’ve been working it for 10 days. We’ll keep up,” he told reporters Friday, adding: “I think we’re going to get 217.” Jordan also mounted a comprehensive pressure campaign with the help of allies—like Trump and even Fox News’ Sean Hannity.

But it quickly became clear this week that the arm twisting backfired with a handful of holdouts. It seems that, ultimately, Jordan’s politics might be too unpalatable even to his own party—despite his celebrity within the conservative media ecosystem. Now, all eyes are on McHenry—a reluctant Speaker, not unlike Paul Ryan. Whether House Republicans can coalesce around him remains to be seen as the caucus appears more divided than ever.