By TN Ashok
Washington– Republican Jim Jordan lost his second bid for taking the Speaker’s chair on Wednesday as he failed to get the 217 votes needed for it as 22 Republican holdouts voted against him. The House went for the 15th day without a Speaker with the lower chamber paralysed as important legislations such as funding Israel and Ukraine languish.
The 22 Republicans who voted against Jordan preferred the pro tem speaker Patrick McHenry to continue and if a bipartisan approach to elect the speaker were to emerge, Henry has the votes from the democrats to win even though they have fielded Hakim Jefferis for the post, media reports said.
Republicans nominated Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, for the speakership on Tuesday on the House floor but the Ohio Republican failed to garner the near-unanimous support — 217 votes — he needed to become speaker. And the scene played out again on Wednesday, as Jordan failed a second floor vote with holdouts standing their ground, USA Today reported.
History seemed to repeat itself as in January when ousted Speaker Rep. Kevin McCarthy had to fend off a group of Republican lawmakers then and who continue to oppose Jordan, revealing the deep divisions in the GOP RNC.
Jordan loses more GOP support in the second ballot: Jordan lost ground in the second speaker ballot. Four House Republicans who initially supported the Ohio Republican in the first round of voting flipped and voted for an alternative candidate in a massive setback for his speaker bid.
They are — Rep. Vern Buchanen, R-Fla.Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa.Rep. ariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa.Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Minn.
The second ballot was another setback for Jordan’s bid for Speaker.
A total of 22 GOP lawmakers voted against Jordan’s speakership, more than the 20 that opposed him on Tuesday.
The path forward for Jordan’s speakership bid is unclear but some of his most ardent supporters from the conference’s right flank have urged the Ohio Republican to stay in the race for as long as it takes. (IANS)
