He spent the week trying to rally critics into backing him. But the number of GOP votes against him increased to 25 on the third ballot.
Jim Jordan has failed a third time to get the majority vote he needed to win the speakership, instead losing support from fellow Republicans.
The shortfall follows growing losses of votes on Tuesday and Wednesday. He met with opponents Thursday but they didn’t budge, and later three more GOP defectors emerged on the third ballot — bringing his total number of Republican votes against him to 25.
Jordan has spent the week trying to rally critics into backing him, but instead he is losing backers within the conference. House Republicans are now expected to convene at 1 p.m. for yet another private meeting in a week full of tense sitdowns.
“We’ll just talk to the conference some more, listen some more, figure out how we can get a speaker,” Jordan told reporters. “All I know is we need to get a speaker of the House and the fastest way to do that is a guy who has between 195 and 200 votes.”
Any momentum Jordan’s candidacy had earlier this week has effectively evaporated. He offered no indication of whether or when he will seek a fourth ballot, though his allies have suggested they will keep pushing. Some House Republicans have already floated alternative paths to return the House to a functioning body.
Three new Republicans flipped from yes to no on Jordan in the third ballot: Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), Marc Molinaro (N.Y.) and Thomas Kean (N.J.). All three represent battleground districts where President Joe Biden won in 2020, which could make sticking with Jordan a liability.
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Jim Jordan has failed a third time to get the majority vote he needed to win House Speaker — and he keeps losing support.
The number of GOP votes against him increased to 25 on the third ballot. https://t.co/N64Eqb0A4r
— POLITICO (@politico) October 20, 2023
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