House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan suffered a setback in his bid for House Speaker, with Republicans voting for many alternative candidates.
Jordan managed just 200 votes, falling short of the 217 votes needed to secure the Speaker of the House seat. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries was the leading vote-getter with 212 votes, with unanimous support from Democrats.
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Among House Republicans, 20 members after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy chose to vote for candidates other than Jordan. These votes were split between various contenders, including McCarthy, Steve Scalise, Thomas Massey, Tom Cole, and former Rep. Lee Zeldin.
In the vote breakdown, Steve Scalise secured 7 votes, while Kevin McCarthy received 6 votes. Lee Zeldin obtained 3 votes, and four other candidates each received one vote.
Jim Jordan needed a total of 217 votes to win the vote, and he could only afford to have three Republican members vote against him. However, more than a dozen Republicans chose to vote for alternative candidates.
Following the vote, the House entered into a recess.
Kevin McCarthy had been removed from his position two weeks prior. There is a sense among some dissenters that they are willing to give Jim Jordan a limited opportunity to see if he can gather the necessary votes, with a few noting that House Majority Leader Steve Scalise was not afforded the chance for a floor vote in the past.
If Jordan does not secure the necessary votes on the first ballot, it remains uncertain whether the House will conduct another vote later in the day or postpone it to a later time, possibly tomorrow. Jim Jordan has not committed to a specific number of ballots he is willing to go through or whether he would prefer an immediate re-vote for the position of Speaker.