The House drama over selecting a new speaker was set to continue Thursday as Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan worked to salvage his bid after opposition from fellow Republicans grew on Wednesday.
It was unclear what the next steps would be as his opponents dug in while his supporters and allies in outside conservative groups worked to thwart an alternative effort to empower Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick T. McHenry to bring up legislation while the standoff continued.
Twenty-two House Republicans voted against Jordan on Wednesday, up from 20 who opposed him the previous day. Some Republicans said they thought that number could grow on a third vote.
Before the chamber adjourned for the night shortly after 5 p.m., Idaho Rep. Mike Simpson, who has voted against Jordan this week, called for the House to reconvene to take another speaker vote.
Rep. Mike Kelly began circulating a proposal earlier this week to expand McHenry’s powers through Nov. 17, the day government funding is currently set to expire, while Ohio Rep. David Joyce had a separate plan to empower McHenry.
One source familiar with the effort said proponents were working though a difference in the end date of the resolution, as Joyce’s would go until Jan. 3.
When asked about the effort underway to expand the powers of the speaker pro tempore, McHenry said, “My effort is focused on getting Jim Jordan the speakership.”
“Obviously this is unprecedented what we’re dealing with. My role here is to be determined but I’ve constructed that as narrowly as the rules say I should,” McHenry said. “We can’t transact business until we elect a speaker so that’s what I’m going to see to it and … that’s what this position obligates me to do.”
McHenry took temporary possession of the gavel because he was on a previously secret list to be Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s successor, a provision triggered when eight Republicans joined every Democrat in a historic vote to vacate the speaker’s office on Oct. 3.
California Rep. David Valadao, a Republican who represents a district President Joe Biden would have won in 2020 by 13 points and has voted for Jordan on both floor votes, said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that it was time to empower McHenry to reopen the House.
“I voted for the Republican conference’s nominee for Speaker because we must get back to work and we cannot do that until we have a Speaker,” Valadao wrote. “After today’s votes, it is clear that the current candidates do not have the support necessary to become Speaker.”
Maine Rep. Jared Golden, a Democrat who represents a district that former President Donald Trump would have won by 6 percentage points in 2020, posted that “now would be a good time to empower the Speaker Pro Tempore to put the House back to work while the House GOP works to find someone who can lead them.”
But it didn’t seem that formal conversations between the parties about empowering McHenry were happening.
‘A lot of broken trust’
Pennsylvania Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, the Republican co-chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus, said conversations were ongoing but there wasn’t any coordination or whip count on the proposal.
“There’s a lot of broken trust from that motion to vacate, I will tell you that. So if they want to step up and do the right thing, we welcome that,” he said. Republicans in the bipartisan Problem Solvers group were irate with their Democratic colleagues who they believed were going to help stop the effort led by Florida GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz to oust McCarthy.
Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters Wednesday afternoon that the Democratic caucus hadn’t had any conversations about what an elevated Speaker Pro Tem McHenry’s powers might look like.
“If there’s a real proposal in front of us, we will have to reconvene and have that conversation,” he said.
Jordan allies like Reps. Lauren Boebert, Andy Biggs and Matt Rosendale said they were opposed to empowering McHenry.
“A vote to further empower a temporary Speaker is a vote to keep you broke and Washington broken. I told you — no matter what — I won’t vote for the status quo, and I’m keeping my word,” House Freedom Caucus Chair Scott Perry, R-Pa., posted on X.
Jordan told reporters after Wednesday’s vote that he was continuing to talk to members to earn their support. He referred to changes in the vote, which saw two people who backed other candidates Tuesday coming over to his side. But an additional four members who backed Jordan voted for someone else on Wednesday.
‘Keep working on it’
“I think we’ve got about 200 votes. You know we picked up some today. A couple dropped off but they voted for me before. I think they can come back again so we’ll keep talking to members and keep working on it,” Jordan said.
But some of the Jordan opponents suggested they were not movable.
“Steve Scalise is an honorable man and has earned my vote for Speaker. This was a vote of conscience and I stayed true to my principles. Intimidation and threats will not change my position,” Texas Rep. Kay Granger, the Appropriations Committee chairwoman, said on X.
McCarthy’s election as speaker took 15 votes spread over several days in January. But Arkansas Rep. Steve Womack said a difference this time is members opposed to Jordan as speaker weren’t asking for anything in exchange, unlike members who were ultimately convinced to support McCarthy, or at least stop blocking him, in January.
“The level of opposition is profound,” Womack said. “It’s one thing when you want something and you have a chance to get it, and there’s an opportunity for you to move. It’s a whole different ballgame when you are opposed on principle and start being attacked. And I can speak to it. Because I’ve been attacked. It has not helped one iota.”
Laura Weiss and David Lerman contributed to this report.
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