WASHINGTON: Outspoken conservative Jim Jordan failed in his second attempt at the top job in the US House of Representatives on Wednesday, as his fellow Republicans considered a backup option for the leaderless chamber to move forward.
Jordan, who was endorsed by Donald Trump, for a second straight day fell short of the 217 votes needed to fill the vacant speaker’s chair, as 22 Republicans and all 212 Democrats voted against him.
The House is now in its 16th day without a leader, which has left Congress unable to respond to the wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, or to take action to head off a partial government shutdown which will begin in less than a month without congressional action. Jordan’s vote total of 199 was less than the 200 Republican votes he secured on Tuesday.
Republicans who control the chamber by a narrow 221-212 majority have been unable to unite behind a speaker candidate since a small faction of them ousted Kevin McCarthy on Oct 3. It was not clear whether Jordan would mount a third attempt or clear the way for a fallback option that would give increased power to Representative Patrick McHenry, who has been temporarily filling the speaker’s chair.
Published in Dawn, October 19th, 2023
