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Rep. Jim Jordan to pursue third vote to be speaker of the House

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, says he plans to seek a third ballot in his bid to become speaker of the House.
J. Scott Applewhite
/
AP
Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, says he plans to seek a third ballot in his bid to become speaker of the House.

Updated October 19, 2023 at 3:36 PM ET

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, says he will move ahead with a plan to hold a third vote in his bid to become speaker of the House, reversing an earlier plan for a lengthy campaign.

Jordan could seek a vote as early as Friday, but he told reporters he needs to consult with his wife and speak with the 20 members who voted against him on the first ballot this week.

The decision comes after a nearly four-hour, closed-door meeting that was originally intended to focus on a plan to vote on a resolution to empower Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., to bring legislation to the floor until January. Some members had hoped McHenry could oversee votes on spending bills or a short-term funding measure to avoid a government shutdown. Current government funding expires on Nov. 17.

The plan fell apart after conservatives voiced strong opposition.

Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., said the proposal would be "handing our majority back over to the Democrats by going along with a power-sharing agreement."

"It's the biggest FU to Republican voters I've ever seen," Banks told reporters. "That is a historic betrayal to our Republican voters if we go along with it. It's a big mistake."

Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., said he was leaning toward opposing the plan.

"We need a speaker," he said. "I do believe there are other folks in the room there that can get 217 [votes]."

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Lexie Schapitl is a production assistant with NPR's Washington Desk, where she produces radio pieces and digital content. She also reports from the field and assists with production of the NPR Politics Podcast.
Claudia Grisales is a congressional reporter assigned to NPR's Washington Desk.
Susan Davis is a congressional correspondent for NPR and a co-host of the NPR Politics Podcast. She has covered Congress, elections, and national politics since 2002 for publications including USA TODAY, The Wall Street Journal, National Journal and Roll Call. She appears regularly on television and radio outlets to discuss congressional and national politics, and she is a contributor on PBS's Washington Week with Robert Costa. She is a graduate of American University in Washington, D.C., and a Philadelphia native.
Ximena Bustillo
Ximena Bustillo is a multi-platform reporter at NPR covering politics out of the White House and Congress on air and in print.