House Republicans have voted 124-81 in favor of nominating Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio to serve as House speaker, according to reports, with Jordan defeating Rep. Austin Scott of Georgia who announced on Friday that he was throwing his hat into the ring.
“I highly respect Jim Jordan. He is an asset to the Republican Party and our nominee for Speaker. Our conference has spoken, and now we must unite behind Jordan so we can get Congress back to work,” Scott tweeted.
In a separate vote regarding whether lawmakers would back Jordan for speaker on the House floor, 152 indicated that they would, NBC News reported citing Rep. French Hill of Akansas and an aide. But even with 152 supporters Jordan would fall far short of the votes necessary to clinch the speakership in a full House vote.
Last week Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California — who was tapped as House speaker in January after a whopping 15 rounds of voting — was ousted from the speaker’s slot, and said that he would not seek the role again. Eight Republicans voted with Democrats to boot McCarthy out of the speakership.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana — who survived after being shot in 2017 and is currently battling cancer — and Jordan both mounted bids to take over the role. While Scalise reportedly won the nomination in a 113-99 vote, he ultimately dropped out of contention.
Jordan had been endorsed by former President Donald Trump prior to his loss to Scalise. Trump has indicated that he would be willing to temporarily serve as speaker if the GOP fails to rally behind a candidate for the position.
“They have asked me if I would take it for a short period of time for the party, until they come to a conclusion — I’m not doing it because I want to — I will do it if necessary, should they not be able to make their decision,” told Fox News Digital.
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