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Jim Jordan Continues to Lose Ground on Third Ballot

Rebecca Downs
Rebecca Downs  |  October 20, 2023 2:15 PM

Earlier on Friday, House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) failed on the third ballot to become Speaker of the House. In fact, he lost votes, with 24 Republican members voting for someone other than him. 

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) acually came the closest with 210 votes, while Jordan earned 194 votes, and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) who had been the nominee for part of last week, came in at a distant third with 8 votes. It's worth noting that Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) was absent.

Here's how the 24 Republican defectors voted, according to CBS News:

  1. Rep. Don Bacon, of Nebraska, voted for Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry, of North Carolina.
  2. Rep. Vern Buchanan, of Florida, voted for Rep. Byron Donalds, of Florida.
  3. Rep. Ken Buck, of Colorado, voted for Rep. Tom Emmer, of Minnesota.
  4. Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRamer, voted for McHenry.
  5. Rep. Anthony D'Esposito, of New York, voted for former Rep. Lee Zeldin.
  6. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, of Florida, voted for Rep. Steve Scalise, of Louisiana.
  7. Rep. Jake Ellzey, of Texas, voted for Rep. Mike Garcia, of California.
  8. Rep. Drew Ferguson, of Georgia, voted for Scalise.
  9. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, of Pennsylvania, voted for McHenry.
  10. Rep. Andrew Garbarino, of New York, voted for Zeldin.
  11. Rep. Carlos Giménez, of Florida, voted for Rep. Kevin McCarthy, of California.
  12. Rep. Tony Gonzales, of Texas, voted for Scalise.
  13. Rep. Kay Granger, of Texas, voted for Scalise.
  14. Rep. John James, of Michigan, voted for Donalds.
  15. Rep. Thomas Kean, of New Jersey, voted for McCarthy.
  16. Rep. Mike Kelly, of California, voted for Scalise.
  17. Rep. Jennifer Kiggans, of Virginia, voted for McHenry.
  18. Rep. Nick LaLota, of New York, voted for Zeldin.
  19. Rep. Michael Lawler, of New York, voted for McHenry.
  20. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, of Iowa, voted for McHenry.
  21. Rep. Marcus Molinaro, of New York, voted for Zeldin.
  22. Rep. John Rutherford, of Florida, voted for Scalise.
  23. Rep. Michael Simpson, of Idaho, voted for Scalise.
  24. Rep. Pete Stauber, of Minnesota, voted for Rep. Bruce Westerman, of Arkansas.
  25. Rep. Steve Womack, of Arkansas, voted for Scalise.

Friday's vote came after an early morning press conference from Jordan and a second round of votes on Wednesday, when Jordan lost 22 members. He had lost 20 members during Tuesday's first round of voting. On Thursday, House Republicans briefly considered empowering McHenry, but that idea was quickly abandoned after outrage from Republican members, especially since it would require working with Democrats.

Jordan had been nominated by Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) who was ousted earlier this month as speaker after eight Republicans joined in with all Democrats to vote in favor of Rep. Matt Gaetz's (R-FL) motion to vacate the chair. Seven of those eight Republicans have consistently voted for Jordan as speaker and had revealed after voting that they would be willing to take further steps to get Jordan selected.

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Those members, including Reps. Gaetz, Bob Good (R-VA), Eli Crane (R-AZ), and Tim Burchett (R-TN) stood together while speaking to press after the vote. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) spoke to reporters as well. Through such remarks and in a letter shared to X, the members revealed that they would be willing to accept punishment for ousting McCarthy in order for Jordan to be confirmed. 

That would have included being "prepared to accept censure, suspension, or removal from the Conference to accomplish this objective," of selecting Jordan as speaker, the letter noted. "We remain proud members of the Republican Party, as nominated by our respective districts."

The letter is signed by all 8 members, including Reps. Gaetz, Good, Craine, Burchett, Mace, Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Ken Buck (R-CO), and Matt Rosendale (R-MT). 

Buck had voted for candidates other than Jordan on the first, second, and third ballot. Many of the others who voted for someone other than Jordan were particularly incensed about McCarthy ouster. Some even voted for McCarthy during these rounds of voting to select a new speaker. 

House Republicans later met on Friday, where on a secret ballot they decided to drop Jordan as the nominee.