CNN
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Representative of the Republican Party. Jim Jordan failed to regain his House Speaker victory in a run-off vote Wednesday, as he faces steep opposition and a gridlocked House that raises serious questions about whether he has a path forward.
With the GOP’s narrow majority, he lost more than a handful of people he could lose after he lost Tuesday’s initial round of voting after 20 Republicans voted against him in the Ohio Republican Party.
As pressure mounts on Republicans to get out of the leadership crisis, some are pushing to expand the powers of the interim speaker, Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-North Carolina. Republicans are discussing the possibility of introducing a resolution to authorize McHenry as early as Wednesday afternoon, two sources told CNN.
Without a speaker, the room is effectively muted, a dangerous situation that comes amid conflicts abroad and a government shutdown next month.
Jordan dug in Wednesday morning, saying he would stay in the race and dismiss the idea of empowering McHenry, saying the House needs a permanent Republican speaker.
“We need to get a speaker so we can open the House, so I’m going to go there,” he said.
A resolution authorizing McHenry would need Democratic support, as many Republicans oppose the idea. The move would give Democrats a chance to get some concessions from Republicans in exchange for their votes.
Jordan is a polarizing figure in the speaker’s race, a complicating factor in his bid to lock down votes. He is a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump, has a longstanding reputation as a conservative rebel and helped found the hardline House Freedom Caucus. As chairman of the powerful House Judiciary Committee, he has also been a key figure in House GOP-led investigations.
Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy had 15 rounds of voting in January. But Jordan faces an uphill climb amid deep divisions in the House GOP caucus and the opposition he faces.
Tensions and frustrations among House Republicans have grown as the speakership battle drags on.
GOP Rep. Don Bacon’s wife received anonymous text messages warning her husband to support Jordan. Bacon has been vocal against Jordan and was one of 20 Republicans who did not support Jordan in Tuesday’s vote.
“Your husband will no longer hold any political office. What a disappointment and failure he is,” read one of the messages sent to Bacon’s wife, obtained by Bacon by CNN.
Bacon’s wife responded to the speech by saying, “He has more courage than you. You will not put your name to your statements.
One in 20 voters who voted against Jordan in the first round said they would support the Ohio Republican in the next vote, but many Republicans indicated they would not be swayed, leaving Jordan’s fate up in the air.
A GOP legislator voted for a congressman he didn’t want to be speaker. Ask why
Opponents of his speaker’s bid so far have been centrist Republicans worried about the face of the House GOP as a conservative hardliner and lawmakers still angry at Republicans who forced out Kevin McCarthy and opposed House Majority Leader Steve Scalise’s bid. For giving.
Scalise initially defeated Jordan at the GOP convention to become the speaker candidate, but later dropped out of the race amid opposition to his candidacy.
This story and topic have been updated with additional improvements.
