The fight and dance to vote in a permeant US House Speaker drags on….
“We really need to get our act together. This is a continuation of a pretty dysfunctional disease of the 118th [Congress],” Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) said Thursday before Scalise withdrew his name.
With Scalise now out, a number of lawmakers say it is Jordan’s turn to try and rally up enough support for the gavel.
“I think the first step we should look at is Congressman Jordan, remember, got half of the votes. We should put it back to the floor and see if we can get him get to 217,” Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.), who eyed his own bid for Speaker earlier this month, told reporters….
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Representative Jim Jordan of Ohio, the hard-right Republican who is the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, was poised on Friday to make another bid for the speakership, toiling to unite a Republican Conference in chaos after deposing one speaker and blocking another in line for the job.
The bid by Mr. Jordan, the co-founder of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus and a favorite of former President Donald J. Trump’s, came as House Republicans were in turmoil after a faction of his supporters forced out former Speaker Kevin McCarthy last week and then refused to back the party’s chosen successor, Representative Steve Scalise of Louisiana, for the job.
“When I decided to run before, I waited until the next day,” Mr. Jordan told reporters at the Capitol on Thursday evening. “I will do the same thing right now,” he added.
House Republicans were set to meet on Friday morning to debate rules for choosing a new speaker, less a day after the abrupt withdrawal of Mr. Scalise, their No. 2 leader, from consideration….
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The House GOP has entered an angrier and more bewildered phase in its leadership crisis.
The fractious Republican conference has rejected a second speaker hopeful in eight days — this time, Kevin McCarthy’s longtime heir apparent, Steve Scalise. While Republicans appear to be turning next to Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), some are already airing open doubts that Jordan can pull off what the majority leader couldn’t.
The lesson Republicans have learned in the frenetic week since McCarthy’s fall: They have no clear choice for leader who can unite their ranks — no matter how long this drags out and their chamber of Congress is paralyzed.
It’s not just GOP centrists sparring with the hard right. It’s not just McCarthy loyalists secretly fuming at Scalise or his allies. There’s mounting anger across the entire conference that no GOP speaker candidate, including Jordan, appears able to prevail under the current margins.
“We need to all recognize that this is much bigger than just one person or any single person’s petty feelings,” said Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.), who had voted for Jordan but publicly backed Scalise after he won the internal election.
It won’t be easy for any candidate to get past the internal spats that have only worsened as the GOP’s speaker fight drags on with no end in sight….
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Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), who had refused to back Scalise, floated Jordan, Hern and House Homeland Security Chair Mark Green (R-Tenn.) as possible picks, as well as a former member, Lee Zeldin.
Hern, however, said it’s Jordan’s turn to try to win over 217 votes — for now.
“We should give him an opportunity,” Hern said. “Let’s give him a chance and see if he can get 217.”….