GOP representative Nancy Mace claims ‘Democrats can trust’ Jim Jordan
The first vote to appoint the next speaker of the House of Representatives is looming, with GOP nominee Rep Jim Jordan still scrambling to get enough votes from his own party.
The House is expected to come together for the first floor vote at 12pm ET on Tuesday.
Mr Jordan won the GOP nomination on Friday afternoon, beating challenger Rep Austin Scott by 124 votes to 81.
But after that, the Ohio congressman has faced an uphill climb to secure the 217 votes needed to pass the threshold and take the gavel.
He spent the weekend trying to win over support and is said to be confident that he can get to the necessary votes. By end of day Monday, he had won over a number of Republicans who were skeptical of his bid including Rep Ann Wagner of Missouri and House Armed Services Chairman Mike Roger.
But he still faces significant opposition. Rep Mike Kelly insisted that he will still vote for Steve Scalise on the floor on Tuesday.
The ongoing saga comes after Kevin McCarthy was ousted from the role two weeks ago. Then, Majority Leader Mr Scalise was nominated for the role last week before quitting.
