Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan has been removed as GOP nominee for Speaker of the House after House Republicans held a closed-door secret ballot.
The vote resulted in 86-112 votes opposing Jordan. The House will reportedly reconvene on Monday for a candidate forum.
Jordan’s removal as GOP Speaker-Designate follows three failed ballots within the last week in which the Ohio Rep. did not secure a majority 217 votes in Congress.
🚨 #BREAKING: Jim Jordan has officially LOST the GOP’s secret ballot held behind closed doors and will no longer be the nominee for Speaker
The House will take a break for the weekend and reconvene on Monday for a candidate forum
WE NEED TO WEED OUT THE RINOs IN THE REPUBLICAN… pic.twitter.com/2GyRyfKYLy
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) October 20, 2023
Jordan originally secured the GOP nomination after House Majority Leader Steve Scalise withdrew his candidacy for Speaker last week.
On Friday, Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, who spearheaded the effort to remove California Rep. Kevin McCarthy as Speaker earlier this month, along with the seven other House Republicans who voted to oust the former Speaker, penned an open letter to the Republican Conference providing concessions they were willing to make to elect Jordan as Speaker of the House.
Concessions included censure, suspension, or removal of the eight Members from the Republican Conference.
“The recent passage of the Motion to Vacate the Speaker has caused rancor, hurt feelings and acrimony in the House Republican Conference,” reads the open letter. “While we stand by our actions, it is our goal to proceed forward with our colleagues, our teammates, our fellow Republicans in a manner that embraces reconciliation.”
“It has been suggested the Conference cannot move forward until there are consequences for each of us,” the letter continued. “While we violated no rule of either the House or Republican Conference, we understand some in the Conference wish to punish us.”
The letter asserted the eight House Republicans remained “proud members of the Republican Party” as duly elected representatives of their districts.
“What unites us as Republicans is more important than our disagreements. We must now come together to elect Jim Jordan,” they concluded. “We offer this sincerely and with the hope of unity with purpose. Our fidelity to Republican virtues and principles remains unwavering.”
Early Thursday reports suggested Jordan would withdraw his candidacy for Speaker and instead support a resolution filed by Pennsylvania Rep. Mike Kelly to grant Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry temporary expanded powers to move legislation.
McHenry assumed Speaker Pro Tempore after McCarthy was removed as House Speaker earlier this month.
Jordan said the effort to support Kelly’s resolution was an attempt to ease Republican infighting, though they would not move forward with the resolution. The Ohio representative confirmed he was not exiting the Speaker race.
After losing a third ballot with 25 Republicans defecting from him, Jordan reconfirmed he would not exit the race.
