On Tuesday, the 118th Congress held its second vote to determine who will serve as the next House Speaker.
The day’s second vote also ended in a stalemate after Kevin McCarthy once again fell short of securing 218 votes to become Speaker.
19 hardline Republicans voted for Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan, and Democrat Rep. Hakeem Jeffries received 213 votes.
McCarthy received 203 votes during the second round of voting. The California Republican received 203 votes during the first round of voting
Rep. Jordan has yet to publicly comment on his nomination for Speaker. There is no historical precedent for a nominee to withdraw.
During the first round of voting Rep. Jordan nominated Rep. McCarthy for Speaker.
Jordan acknowledged that he and McCarthy “haven’t always agreed on everything,” but he said, “I like his fight. I like his tenacity.”
“We need to rally around him,” Jordan said as he outlined the priorities for the 118th Congress. Those priorities include passing bills that “fix the problems” related to immigration, energy policy, education policy and inflation; prevent massive spending packages from getting through; and conducting oversight and investigations.
“That’s what the American people want us to do. They want us to fight for the things they care about, and they elected us to do,” Jordan said. “We should all remember — only about 12,000 people have ever had the opportunity to do what we’re doing today — sit in this body, serve in this Congress.”
He added: “It is a privilege. It is an opportunity. We owe it to them, the American people, the good people of this great country to step forward, to come together, get a speaker elected so we can address these three things.”
Moments later Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) nominated Jordan, the expected
As Great America News Desk previously reported:
Kevin McCarthy, R- Calif., Andy Biggs D- Ariz., and Hakeen Jeffries D- N.Y. were nominated for the position but ultimately the vote ended in a stalemate as the California Republican failed to reach the 218 vote threshold. No nominee reached the required number of votes meaning House lawmakers now will engage in round after round of voting until a Speaker is elected.
According to The Hill, in the event of multiple ballots, the House will not necessarily continue late into the night. The last time there were multiple ballots, the House adjourned until the following day after four failed ballots. Adjourning also allows members time to negotiate and strike deals.
Dire circumstances could lead to unusual procedures. Twice before, in 1849 and 1856, the House agreed to a resolution that allowed a Speaker to be elected by a plurality. That move was something of a last resort, though, and came after 59 and 129 failed ballots. A majority of the whole House would need to agree to that resolution.
McCarthy’s failure to secure the Speaker’s gavel during Tuesday’s vote marks the first time in a century the U.S. House of Representatives has gone to multiple votes for the office.
