Rep. Jim Jordan indicated Friday that he planned to keep pushing to become the next speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, even as he continues to face opposition from his fellow Republicans.
“There’s been multiple rounds of votes for speaker before,” the Ohio congressman said during a news conference, referring to how former Speaker Kevin McCarthy needed 15 ballots to secure the job in January.
Jordan faces a third round of voting on his candidacy Friday morning. The House convened just after 10 a.m. Eastern and is slated to hear nominating speeches for speaker candidates, then proceed to a third ballot.
“Our plan this weekend is to get a speaker elected to the House of Representatives as soon as possible so we can help the American people,” he also said during his news conference.
Jordan — an ally of former President Donald Trump and co-founder of the hardline House Freedom Caucus — had 22 GOP lawmakers vote against him in a second ballot on Wednesday. On Tuesday, 20 fellow Republicans backed other candidates in an initial round of voting.
Jordan can only afford to have four GOP lawmakers vote against him, as no Democrats have been supporting him. He needs a simple majority to become speaker, or 217 votes. The House has 221 Republicans and 212 Democrats, with two vacancies.
Analysts have been warning that the process of picking a new speaker is preventing the Republican-run House from addressing crucial matters, such as supporting Israel and passing a budget to avoid a government shutdown next month that could rattle markets.
Related: Biden seeks $14 billion for Israel, $61 billion for Ukraine in request to Congress
With the House looking rudderless, the chamber’s temporary speaker, GOP Rep. Patrick McHenry of North Carolina, is facing calls to take on the job more permanently. But a measure that would have McHenry serve in the post until January stalled on Thursday afternoon due to objections from a number of Republicans, even as Jordan offered his support for it.
“This resolution is really dangerous. We need to have a NORMAL election for speaker. @Jim_Jordan, I respect you but it is a massive mistake to back this,” GOP Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida said Thursday in a post on X as the measure lost momentum.
Given the GOP opposition, the McHenry option would require some Democratic support. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, has continued to signal openness to it.
“We are ready, willing and able to find a bipartisan path forward to enter into a partnership with our Republican colleagues to reopen the House,” Jeffries told reporters on Friday before the third ballot.
U.S. stocks
SPX
DJIA
COMP
opened with losses Friday, as rising bond yields
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and geopolitical tensions continue to take a toll.
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