The 217-Ring Circus
House Speakermania
Chaos continued to rage in the US House of Representatives on Friday, with candidates for the speaker position dropping in and out of the race at a breakneck speed as there seems to be no clear path to restoring order.Last week, US Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) called for a motion to vacate the House speakership, a move that saw eight Republicans and every Democrat come together in voting to remove Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) from the role.No business can be conducted in the House until a speaker is elected. Reps. Steve Scalise (R-LA) and Jim Jordan (R-OH) immediately emerged as frontrunners to replace McCarthy. Scalise won a Republican-only closed-door vote but did not secure the 217 votes he would need to win the nomination on the House floor. Scalise ultimately dropped out of the race, leaving only Jordan.
AmericasJim Jordan Clinches GOP Nomination for US House Speakership13 October, 20:26 GMTAt one point, McCarthy hinted he would hop back in the race, but the fantasy proved short-lived. Rep. Austin Scott (R-GA) emerged as a potential rival to Jordan earlier Friday but eventually threw his backing for Jordan after losing a closed-door vote to the Ohio lawmaker.A strong ally of former US President Donald Trump, Jordan won a nomination vote against Scott 124-81, and then increased that gap in a second vote to 152-55 with one voting “present.” Both votes were an increase over Scalise’s margin of victory of 113-99, but still far short of the 217 votes needed to secure the nomination.Still, without many viable challengers, some Republicans have expressed optimism that Jordan will be confirmed as the next speaker, including McCarthy. Republicans said that they are hoping to bring a speaker vote to the floor on Tuesday.
