The latest on the vote for House speaker
- Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, fell short on the first round of voting for speaker. He was nominated last week after House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., withdrew from the race.
- How many votes are needed to be House speaker? Jordan will most likely need 217, and he got only 200 on the first ballot. He said tonight that the next vote is expected at 11 a.m. tomorrow.
- Democrats are backing House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, of New York.
- Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., triggered the race when he moved to oust Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., as speaker and won a majority vote when all Democrats and eight Republicans voted against McCarthy.
- Jordan has been an ally of former President Donald Trump, who endorsed him for the job.
Republican who voted for McCarthy says he'll now back Jordan
Rep. Doug LaMalfa, of California, who voted for McCarthy on the first ballot, said after the vote that he'll back Jordan going forward.
“Kevin McCarthy was taken down for frivolous, unproductive reasons. We had a good thing going this year in doing House business, yet a handful of folks were able to take it all down because they didn’t get 100% of what they wanted,” he wrote in a statement on X.
“I spoke with Jim after the first vote to confirm my support going forward, and he was happy and understood. The vote of conviction I cast today was done with the careful consideration that I would not prevent Jim Jordan from winning on the first ballot,” he added. “The House needs to get back on track promptly, and I do and will continue to support Jim Jordan in further balloting.”
Jeffries leaves the door open to working with McHenry
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries suggested tonight that Democrats would be open to working with interim Speaker Patrick McHenry, R-N.C.
Jeffries, D-N.Y., said that McHenry “is respected on our side of the aisle” and that other Republicans are, as well — but not Jordan.
Pressed about which Democrats have said they’re open to working with McHenry, Jeffries said that there are “informal conversations that have accelerated over the past few days” and that he hopes they accelerate this evening given Jordan’s failure to secure the 217 votes needed to become speaker.
Asked whether Jeffries was talking about a temporary or a permanent speaker, he said, “All options are on the table.”
Jeffries himself said that he doesn’t have any meetings planned with McHenry but that Democrats are ready and willing to work with Republicans. He also shot down the idea of a power-sharing agreement, acknowledging that Republicans control the chamber.
Jordan says he's willing to go through as many ballots as it takes
Asked this evening how many ballots he's willing to go through, Jordan told reporters, "Till we get a speaker."
"We gotta have a speaker, and it can't be some deal with the Democrats," he added.
Jordan compared his situation to McCarthy's in January, saying the votes he got in the first round put him "right about where Kevin was."
McCarthy was elected in January on the 15th ballot.
Jordan says next speaker vote will be at 11 a.m. tomorrow
Jordan said this evening the House won't be holding any more speaker votes tonight. Instead, the next vote will be tomorrow morning at 11.
Jordan huddles with allies between votes
Jordan is huddling with allies in GOP Whip Tom Emmer’s first-floor office in the Capitol.
Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith, R-Mo., and Rep. Garret Graves, R-La., popped in and out, as did a fellow Freedom Caucus member, Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md.
Rep. Warren Davidson, a fellow Ohio Republican who sat next to Jordan during the first ballot, told reporters during the break that the Jordan team was making progress. “Definitely we’ve seen movement already,” he said, “and we’re encouraged by the progress.”
House could vote around 6 p.m.
The House could move forward on another round of speaker voting around 6 p.m. ET, according to a source familiar with the planning.
Some Jordan holdouts say McHenry should hold more votes
Several of the Jordan holdouts — including Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart, Kay Granger, Steve Womack, Mike Simpson, Carlos Gimenez and Mariannette Miller-Meeks — called for McHenry to start another round of votes.
Jordan and Scalise met after the vote
Jordan and Scalise met in Scalise’s office after the vote on the floor, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Rutherford says he'll keep backing Scalise but 'kinda' likes McHenry
Rep. John Rutherford, R-Fla., one of the 20 Jordan defectors, said he will keep voting for Scalise on future ballots unless there is a consensus candidate that emerges. “I kinda like Patrick McHenry,” Rutherford said of the interim speaker.
D’Esposito says he's looking to engaging with 'candidates'
Rep. Anthony D’Esposito, a freshman from New York, also pointed to SALT deductions, which allow residents of high-income taxed states to deduct a portion of their state and local taxes from their federal returns. The deductions are a pain point for residents of high-tax states like New York after Republicans in 2017 capped the amount they could deduct at $10,000.
D’Esposito noted that he was looking forward to discussing the matter with "candidates," though Jordan is the only Republican currently in the running.
