Speaker of the House of Representatives Emeritus Kevin McCarthy vowed to do everything in his power to reject Rep. Jim Jordan to the finish line to be the next speaker.
Jordan (R-Oh.) appears to lack enough votes to claim the gavel as he prepares to vote on Tuesday. Still, McCarthy (R-Calif.) is optimistic about Jordan’s prospects.
“I think Jim Jordan can get there,” McCarthy (R-Calif.) told Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures.
“I am someone who understands how difficult it is. I do go in with more support at the moment, but I believe at the end of the day, Jim can get there.
“I did everything I could to help him become a speaker.”
McCarthy’s confidence was a slight change in tone from when House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) ran for speaker last week.
There are doubts about whether Jim Jordan has the necessary votes to become speaker ahead of a vote expected on Tuesday.Getty Images
“It’s possible but it’s a big hill. He [Scalise] told a lot of people that he was going to be 150 years old and he wasn’t there,” McCarthy told reporters at the time.
McCarthy raises real doubts about Scalise’s ability to reach 216.. and raises questions about his whip operation.
“Could be but it’s a big hill. He (Scalise) told a lot of people that he’s going to be 150 years old and he’s not there so..” pic.twitter.com/MwTiLWUjmV
— Ryan Nobles (@ryanobles) October 12, 2023
Scalise initially edged out Jordan in a tight 113 to 99 closed-door vote by House Republicans to become speaker. After failing to secure enough votes, Scalise dropped out of consideration last Thursday evening.
Jordan won the party to become speaker the next day by a vote of 124-81. Interestingly, the main opponent, Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.) had only announced his candidacy about four hours earlier and managed to rally dozens of defectors.
Former President Donald Trump supported Jordan during the match against Scalise.
Kevin McCarthy publicly endorsed Jim Jordan to be the next speaker. Getty Images Matt Gaetz is leading a crusade to oust Kevin McCarthy as speaker.Getty Images
McCarthy was ousted on October 3 in a coup by eight Republicans led by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) who joined the strong Democratic bloc.
The former speaker still has some allies on his side who want him back in the running. Rep. Carlos Giménez (R-Fla.), for example, previously stated that he was sticking with McCarthy.
Earlier this month, Jordan publicly suggested that Republicans should not go to the polls until the speaker candidate has enough support.
“We shouldn’t go to the floor of the House until we have 218 votes for Speaker of the United States House of Representatives,” Jordan told Fox News. “We shouldn’t have gone through what we did in January.”
Steve Scalise ended his bid for speaker last week. Reuters
Now that he is the speaker’s nominee, Jordan seems to be changing tactics. Whip notices from both the Republican and Democratic Houses indicate a speaker vote is likely on Tuesday.
The move appears to represent a pressure strategy on Jordan’s part to put a hold on the scene and sideline skeptical moderates.
Many Jordan allies like Gaetz have publicly pushed for the GOP to pick a speaker as soon as possible.
Such pressure campaigns risk alienating moderates, Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Tx.) surmised.
“So what I would really recommend to Jordan’s allies as well, is that many of them have launched this high-pressure campaign,” Crenshaw said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“That’s the stupidest way to support Jordan, and I support Jordan,” he continued. “As someone who wants Jim Jordan, the dumbest thing you can do is keep berating that person and building them up.”
Jim Jordan was once head of the conservative hardline Freedom Caucus. Reuters
In public, Jordan has struck a more unifying tone.
“The difference between Republicans and Democrats in the House far exceeds our differences in the Republican Conference. This country and the GOP Conference cannot afford for us to attack each other. It’s time to work,” he wrote on X Sunday.
The difference between Republicans and Democrats in the House far exceeds our differences in the Republican Conference.
This country and the GOP Conference cannot afford for us to attack each other.
It’s time to work.
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) October 15, 2023
Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) underscored that Democrats are “ready, willing and able” to work toward resolving the impasse.
“There have been informal conversations that have taken place. When we return to Washington tomorrow, it’s important to formally begin those discussions,” Jeffries told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday.
Since McCarthy’s ouster, the lower house has been mired in gridlock, unable to vote on pressing national security concerns such as the war in Israel, the war in Ukraine, and the November 17 government shutdown deadline.
Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry (R-NC) has temporarily taken over the reigns. But its power is very limited.
Republicans have a four-seat majority and any potential speaker would need to secure a majority to claim the gavel, which could be 217 depending on attendance.
Back in January, McCarthy took an unprecedented 15 marathon votes to ascend to the speakership, which he did without a single vote.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
