Cory Booker says US ‘in crisis’ because of GOP House speaker chaos
Rep Jim Jordan is now faced with the challenge of trying to win over members of the Republican party so that he can secure enough votes to become the next speaker of the House of Representatives.
The Ohio congressman won the GOP nomination on Friday afternoon, beating challenger Rep Austin Scott by 124 votes to 81. Mr Scott is reported to not actually want to be speaker, with observers saying the vote for him indicates the significant part of the party which would be uncomfortable with Mr Jordan as speaker.
Mr Jordan is facing an uphill climb to secure the 217 votes needed by Tuesday when the House is expected to bring a vote to the floor.
He spent the weekend trying to win over support and is said to be confident that he can get to the necessary votes to take the gavel. But, one House Republican told CBS News on Sunday that 10 to 20 members are still refusing to back him.
The ongoing saga comes after Kevin McCarthy was ousted from the role two weeks ago. Then, Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) was nominated for the role last week before quitting.
