Jordan's third attempt to secure speakership faces uphill battle in GOP

In a bid to secure the speakership on the House floor, GOP Representative Jim Jordan made his third attempt after two previous unsuccessful rounds of voting. The pivotal vote took place at 10 a.m. on Friday.

Despite facing challenges in winning over 22 Republicans who voted against him on Wednesday, Jordan expressed determination, stating in a news conference Friday morning, “Our plan this weekend is to get a speaker elected to the House of Representatives as soon as possible.”

Jordan’s path to success is narrow, as he can only afford to lose four GOP votes on the floor, assuming all House lawmakers participate in the vote. On Thursday, he asserted, “I plan to go to the floor and get the votes and win this race,” although no vote was scheduled for that day. He also met with holdout representatives late Thursday afternoon, expressing hope for unity and cooperation to serve the American people.

However, Representative Carlos Gimenez of Florida, who voted against Jordan in both previous rounds, stated that his position remains unchanged, and it appeared that others shared this sentiment. Gimenez remarked, “We’re still in the same spot; he doesn’t have the votes to be speaker.”

It is worth noting that Jordan initially supported a plan to temporarily expand the interim speaker’s powers until early January. Nevertheless, he was compelled to reverse his stance following pressure from fellow GOP lawmakers on Thursday.