Jim Jordan falls short in first House speaker vote, with next attempt set for Wednesday

Emerging from House Majority Whip Tom Emmer's office Tuesday evening, Jordan told reporters that he has had "great discussions" with his Republican colleagues and vowed to continue to pursue the speaker's gavel.

"Frankly, no one in our conference wants to see any type of coalition government with Democrats, so we're going to keep working and we're going to get to the votes," Jordan said. 

When asked how many rounds of voting he's willing to endure, he replied: "Until we get a speaker. We've got to have a speaker and it can't be some deal with the Democrats. The American people don't want that."

— Jaala Brown

No additional votes are expected in the House on Tuesday, closing out another day without a permanent House speaker. The House will meet at 11 a.m. Wednesday and proceed to a second ballot in an attempt to elect a speaker. 

Rep. Carlos Gimenez, Republican of Florida, says he'll stick with ex-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy for any upcoming floor votes for House speaker.

"Nothing can change my vote at this time," he told CBS News' Nikole Killion on "America Decides" Tuesday evening after the first ballot, in which he was one of 20 Republicans to sink Jordan, his party's nominee for speaker.

He said he was "disturbed at the tactics used by Jordan's supporters," telling Killion that right-wing influencers were telling "total lies," like spreading the idea that Gimenez would support Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries for speaker.

"I want a conservative Republican to be speaker," he said, and he denied he would ever support Jeffries for the post. Of the approach taken by Jordan's outside supporters, Gimenez said, "What you've done now, you've cemented my position … I am not going to be voting for Jim Jordan to be speaker of the House."

The Florida Republican said the "House needs to be open," and suggested that if a speaker can't be chosen in a day or two, the House should give expanded power in the interim to Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry of North Carolina.

"We need to choose the right speaker," Gimenez said, adding that the process "doesn't need to be done quickly," as long as McHenry's power could be expanded for now.

GOP Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida sent a letter to interim Speaker Patrick McHenry calling for the House to reconvene immediately and start voting on the second ballot.

"I respectfully request the House of Representatives return immediately and begin a second vote on electing a new speaker," Diaz-Balart wrote. 

Several Republicans backed the request, including Texas Rep. Kay Granger and Arkansas Rep. Steve Womack. Both, along with Diaz-Balart, were among the 20 GOP lawmakers who declined to support Jordan in the first floor vote and backed Scalise instead. 

The three all also serve on the House Appropriations Committee, which Granger leads.

It's unclear when the House will return for another round of voting.

Jordan spokesperson Russell Dye said lawmakers should be prepared for another round of votes for House speaker after the Ohio Republican fell short of the 217 he needs to win the speakership.

"The House needs a speaker as soon as possible. Expect another round of votes today. It's time for Republicans to come together," Dye said.

The House remains in recess following the first ballot.

Appearing on CNN as the House recessed, Republican Rep. Carlos Giménez said he knows some Republicans agreed to vote for Jordan on the first round, but will likely peel away after that. Giménez is supporting McCarthy, but floated the idea that the Republican Party could nominate its first female member for speaker. 

Rep. Ken Buck, who voted for Rep. Tom Emmer, someone Buck admitted he doesn't like, told CNN that Jordan will "lose some votes" on a second round and "gain some votes." 

It's not clear if Republicans will immediately begin a second round of voting, or wait so Jordan and his allies can negotiate with Republican detractors. 

After Jordan lost the vote, McCarthy and other key Republicans huddled on the House floor. 

Speaker pro tempore Patrick McHenry, who is temporarily leading the House, declared the chamber in recess after Jordan failed to receive the requisite number of votes to be elected speaker.

"No person having received a majority of the whole number of votes cast by surname, a speaker has not been elected," McHenry said with a bang of the gavel. 

It's not clear how long the House will be in recess. 

The final tally for Jordan was 200 votes, leaving him shy of the 217 needed for a majority. Six of those voted for McCarthy and seven for Majority Leader Steve Scalise — who withdrew his name from consideration last week. Both McCarthy and Scalise voted for Jordan.

Former Rep. Lee Zeldin, who did not run for reelection in 2022, received three votes and Reps. Tom Emmer of Minnesota, Mike Garcia of California, Tom Cole of Oklahoma and Thomas Massie of Kentucky each received one vote.

Read more on the Republicans who didn't vote for Jordan here. 

Losing at least five Republican votes, Jordan is unlikely to win on the first round unless a Republican who voted against him flips their vote. Without a majority, the speaker contest is then forced into a second round of voting. 

No additional nominations for speaker were made after Stefanik and Aguilar wrapped their nominating speeches.

The House then began a roll call vote for speaker. Members are casting their votes, one by one, in alphabetical order. 

Rep. Pete Aguilar of California, chair of the House Democratic caucus, nominated Jeffries for speaker.

In his nominating speech, he lamented that the House has been "thrown into chaos" following the unprecedented removal of McCarthy and said the lower chamber has been "led to the breaking point" by extremism and partisanship.

"The choice before us is simple: come together on a bipartisan path forward or take us over the cliff. Abandon the extremism that is preventing us from getting things done or triple down on division or dysfunction," he said.

Aguilar knocked Jordan for his stance on abortion, his claims that the 2020 election was rife with voter fraud and his continued support for former President Donald Trump.

"The world is watching Mr. Speaker Pro Tempore," he said. "Our allies in Ukraine and Israel are watching and waiting, so let's have this vote but let's be clear: A vote for the gentleman from Ohio is a vote to turn your back on national security, it's a vote to turn your back on a bipartisan path to fund the government and avoid shutdown."

Rep. Elise Stefanik, the Republican conference chair, delivered the nominating speech for Jordan, characterizing the Ohio Republican as the candidate who is best suited to respond to the current moment.

"We are at a time of great crisis across America, a time of historic challenges in this very chamber and a time when heinous acts of terror and evil have been committed against our great ally, Israel," the New York Republican said.

Stefanik called Jordan a "patriot," "America First warrior who wins the toughest of fights," and a fighter who will give voice to the American people.

"Jim Jordan will be we the people's speaker for such a time as this," she said.

There are 220 Republicans and 212 Democrats present for the House speaker vote, according to a quorum call of the House, during which members recorded their presence on the floor. 

The vote indicated there is one absence, Florida Rep. Gus Bilirakis, who supports Jordan, among the 221 Republicans in the House. All 212 Democrats are in attendance for the vote. Two House seats remain vacant due to the resignations of Chris Stewart of Utah, a Republican, and David Cicilline of Rhode Island, a Democrat.

Nominating speeches are expected to come next, followed by the manual roll call vote, during which House members are called individually, in alphabetical order. 

Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, chair of the Republican conference, will deliver the nominating speech for Jordan, she announced on social media.

Democrats are urged to vote for Jeffries, the minority leader, according to a notice from the Democratic whip, Rep. Katherine Clark.

Rep. George Santos is seated next to another controversial Republican, Rep. Lauren Boebert, in the row with members of the House Freedom Caucus. Rep. Byron Donalds, one of the holdouts against McCarthy in January, was spotted laughing with Boebert. 

The House Freedom Caucus appeared to be in high spirits ahead of the vote. 

— Jacqueline Kalil

Jordan, emerging from the speaker's suite, was asked how many rounds of voting he would be willing to endure. 

"Until we get a speaker," Jordan responded. 

It took McCarthy 15 rounds in January across five days of voting to finally win the speaker's gavel. 

— Jaala Brown and Nikole Killion

The House began meeting shortly after noon ET, although that doesn't mean the speaker vote will take place immediately. 

House members are expected to stay close to the floor to vote. 

A group of Democrats slammed Jordan to reporters ahead of the vote, with Rep. Veronica Escobar of Texas calling Jordan "destructive, divisive and dangerous."

"You know, in some respects, any person who puts themselves in that position by negotiating with extremists and essentially giving power and emboldening extremists will be in the very same position that Kevin McCarthy was in," Escobar said.

Rep. Dan Kildee, meanwhile, said Jordan "has a record that unfortunately matches Kevin McCarthy's without the charm."

Rep. Steny Hoyer, the longtime Democratic leader, said his party's message is "that Republicans need to work together with us to create a functional House of Representatives of the United States of America."

Democrats plan to vote for Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Tuesday.

Rep. Jamie Raskin, one of the most high-profile members of the House Jan. 6 committee and the lead impeachment manager in former President Donald Trump's second impeachment trial, said he is open to a bipartisan coalition — but that is impossible with Jordan as the leader.

"If they find it indigestible to vote for a Democrat, there are lots of Republicans that I, speaking for myself, could support," Raskin said. "I would think that Liz Cheney would be the natural compromise candidate. She was the chair of the Republican Conference. The number three person in their hierarchy."

— Alan He and Caroline Linton 

Jordan is spending the final hours before the speaker vote on the phone with and meeting with members who have not yet expressed their support for him, according to a source familiar with Jordan's schedule. 

It's a continuation of Jordan's efforts in recent days, as he has slowly peeled away at members who were either undecided or were against his speakership. He can only afford to lose four Republicans and still win the election, and it appears he is short of votes at this point. 

Jordan reiterated Tuesday morning that he feels good about the floor vote and hopes he'll be speaker by the end of the day. He told reporters at the Capitol, "We need a speaker as soon as possible."

He declined to say how many rounds of voting he's willing to go (former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy endured 15 rounds before winning the speakership). He denied threatening to primary lawmakers who don't support him, although some alluded to that Monday night after the GOP conference meeting. 

Pressed on his position on who won the 2020 presidential election, Jordan replied that he's "been very clear about that" and declined to respond when asked if Trump lost the election.

Jordan appeared unexpectedly to be on his way Monday afternoon toward the magic number of 217, which would enable him to win the speakership with Republican votes alone on the House floor. He won over seven who had opposed him on Monday alone, and several Republicans were confident he'd win the election Tuesday.

He hit a bit of a skid during the all-House GOP meeting Monday night — these meetings continue to devolve into acrimony.

He appears to be just short but plans to barrel ahead with an afternoon vote to twist the arms of remaining holdouts with the public scrutiny of a roll call vote. The conventional wisdom or Vegas over-under seems to be 2.5 ballots.       

Opening statements, nominations and procedures could eat up an hour or so — Jordan and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries will be nominated, and then the voting begins. Each round of voting takes approximately 45 minutes.

Based on what GOP lawmakers were saying Monday night, Jordan will plow forward on the floor beginning at 12 p.m. to expose the remaining holdouts to conservative MAGA pressure through phone calls and social media. It's a tough tactic, but Jordan surrogates say it's effective and necessary.

The range of "no" Jordan votes could range from 5 or 6 to approximately 20. Some of the California Republicans have been quiet on their voting plans.

One key House GOP member who declines repeatedly to say how he'll vote is Rep. David Valadao, of California, whose district is close to former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's and is one of only two remaining House GOP members who voted to impeach Trump.

Democratic campaign operatives are ramping up pressure on the moderate New York and Arizona Republicans.

It's a warning sign of trouble ahead if the GOP decides to hold another conference meeting before the vote.  Once again Monday night, that meeting became acrimonious as members shared their grievances.

Right-wing outside organizations and allies close to former President Donald Trump have mounted a campaign to increase the pressure on Republicans who have withheld their support for his candidacy.

One activist, Amy Kremer, the chair of the pro-Trump group Women for America First, urged her social media followers to call the offices of GOP lawmakers opposed to Jordan, while conservative media figures like Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity have weighed in.

Beck told his followers that "If you're living in a district with a weenie, wishy-washy Republican, call them and politely warn that if they don't elect a truly conservative House Speaker, we will campaign against you. And we will find your replacement. Call your member and tell them to vote for Jim Jordan.

On his Fox News show Monday night, Hannity called the Republican holdouts "sensitive little snowflakes."

Several Republicans who opposed Jordan's bid for speaker announced Monday that they had switched their positions after discussions with the Ohio Republican.

Reps. Ann Wagner of Missouri, Vern Buchanan of Florida, Mike Rogers of Alabama, Austin Scott of Georgia, who challenged Jordan in the closed-door election, Ken Calvert of California and Drew Ferguson of Georgia all announced their plan to support Jordan in the floor vote after speaking out against his candidacy.

Wagner called Jordan a "nonstarter" last week, but said in a statement that he eased her concerns about government funding, border security and "consistent international support in times of war" during a conversation Monday morning.

"Too much is at stake to hand control of the House over to radical liberal Democrats, which is why we must elect a conservative as the next speaker," she said in a statement. "Throughout my time in Congress, I have always been a team player and supported our Republican nominees out of conference."

Buchanan, meanwhile, had backed Scalise and told reporters Friday that he disliked "how this process played out." But in a statement on social media, the Florida Republican said he had a "very productive conversation" with Jordan and would be supporting him on the House floor.

"I believe the future and immediate well-being and security of our country is too important and the need for Republicans to move forward united is greater than ever," Buchanan said.

Support from Rogers, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, was a significant boon to his candidacy. Rogers said on social media that he decided to back Jordan after two discussions that took place over the weekend.

"We agreed on the need for Congress to pass a strong NDAA, appropriations to fund our government's vital functions, and other important legislation like the Farm Bill," Rogers wrote.

In a Dear Colleague letter on Monday to House Republicans, Jordan, pitched himself as a unifier and told his GOP colleagues that he intends to bring them together.

"America is a nation of explorers and risk-takers. There is nothing that the United States can't achieve and no limit to our nation's success," he wrote. "As Republicans, we innately believe these things. When Republicans come together, there is no measure to what we can achieve for the American people."

The Ohio Republican acknowledged "frustrations" from his fellow GOP lawmakers about the treatment of McCarthy and Scalise, as well as the events that took place over the past month, and said that conference "must move forward."

"The role of a speaker is to bring all Republicans together. That's what I intend to do. We will make sure there are more Republican voices involved in our major decisions beyond the Five Families," Jordan wrote, referring to the five groups that hold the most sway in the conference, including the far-right House Freedom Caucus and the conservative Republican Study Group. He later added that if elected speaker, he would "tirelessly work to defend and expand our majority and help every Republican member back at home."

Jordan co-founded the right-wing House Freedom Caucus and served as its first chairman.

The vote by the full House follows a chaotic two weeks during which the lower chamber has been without a speaker after a group of eight far-right conservative lawmakers and all Democrats voted to strip McCarthy of the gavel. House Republicans nominated Majority Leader Steve Scalise to fill the vacant speaker position in a closed-door vote last week, but he withdrew his candidacy shortly after due to growing opposition that effectively closed his path to winning 217 votes.

Jordan quickly emerged as the favorite among conservatives for the GOP's nomination for speaker, and the conference convened Friday morning to select a new candidate. The Ohio Republican faced a late challenge from Georgia Rep. Austin Scott, though ultimately won the backing of a majority of the 221-member conference.

The search for McCarthy's successor has laid bare the deep divisions among the Republican conference, as some GOP lawmakers cast doubt on whether any member of their party can win the requisite support to become speaker.  

The new speaker will take over as Congress faces numerous crises both domestically and abroad. Funding for federal agencies extends only through Nov. 17, and lawmakers will have to act to avert a government shutdown. The White House has also indicated it will ask Congress to approve additional aid for Ukraine in its war against Russia, and President Biden said he will push lawmakers for assistance for Israel in the ongoing war with the Gaza-based Hamas militant group.