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In Washington, a number of Texas Republicans stood in support of U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan’s aspiration to assume the role of Speaker of the House on Friday. This marked the party’s second endeavor to determine its nominee for the position. However, the process of filling the crucial vacancy in the U.S. House still presents uncertainties.
House Republicans voted 124-81 to nominate Jordan, a far-right Ohio Republican, as their next speaker Friday. Several Texans changed their stances to support Jordan after previously voting for House Majority Leader Steve Scalise in another vote Wednesday. Scalise, a Louisiana Republican, dropped out of the race for speaker Thursday night.
U.S. Reps. Brian Babin, Nathaniel Moran, Dan Crenshaw and August Pfluger all said Friday they supported Jordan after initially backing Scalise. Reps. John Carter and Pat Fallon refused to say how they voted Friday after publicly backing Scalise earlier this week.
However, the Republican candidate for speaker must still obtain a minimum of 217 votes to secure the gavel, indicating that Jordan’s victory is still a considerable distance away.
The vote took place on Friday and was conducted through a secret ballot during a private meeting. Only members were allowed inside, while staffers were excluded, and they had to deposit their phones in cubbies outside the room. Following the initial round of voting, the conference held another vote to confirm their support for Jordan. Out of the total votes, 152 members favored his nomination, while 55 were against it. One person abstained from voting in the second round. Surprisingly, more than twelve Republicans chose not to attend the meeting at all.
Scalise’s withdrawal made Jordan the next most obvious choice, but he still faced considerable resistance Friday. U.S. Rep. Austin Scott, R-Georgia, entered his name into the race at the last minute, opposing Jordan in Friday’s election. Though he doesn’t have nearly the name recognition or institutional support of Jordan, Scott came to embody a number of moderate Republicans wary about giving the leadership to one of the most conservative, unflinching members of the House.
Scalise initially won the party’s nomination to be speaker during the party’s first attempt to select its nominee for the job on Wednesday. The Louisianan had the backing of most Texas Republicans at the time. But Scalise’s surprise withdrawal from the race came after it became clear he could not rally enough support to win in the full House.
Among the Scalise backers were several of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s top allies within the Texas delegation, including House Budget Chair Jodey Arrington and House Foreign Affairs Chair Michael McCaul. U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales also came out as a die-hard Scalise supporter. At least 12 members voted for Scalise while at least seven voted for Jordan during Wednesday’s vote, though several members refused to say how they voted.
Meanwhile, members of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus always tended toward Jordan, who was a cofounder of the far-right group. U.S. Reps. Chip Roy, Michael Cloud and Keith Self, who all fought for greater influence for the far right during January’s tumultuous speaker race, all supported Jordan from the beginning. Other far-right members, including allies of former President Donald Trump, like Troy Nehls and Ronny Jackson, also backed Jordan.
Despite having a small number of passionate supporters, Scalise and Jordan were considered largely identical in terms of policy by most Texas members. They believed that the crucial factor was selecting a candidate who could bring together the divided conference, and thus pledged their support to whoever had the backing of the majority.
U.S. Rep. Roger Williams, who initially backed Scalise, said before Friday’s vote that he would back anyone who could fill the spot and wrangle House Republicans, saying time was running out on key legislative priorities. Federal funding legislation expires in about a month, potentially leading to a government shutdown, and there is a wide bipartisan sense of urgency to send military aid to Israel following last weekend’s attack by Hamas.
Williams stated, “Without a pitcher, it’s impossible to play ball. We must start now. I will explore all possible options to ensure everyone gets on the field.”
Irrespective of their voting choices, the Texas delegation shared a common sentiment of frustration as they were compelled to interrupt the House schedule to elect a new speaker. McCarthy’s removal resulted from the support of eight predominantly far-right members, none of whom were Texans, who voted alongside the entire Democratic Caucus. Many Texas representatives perceived this act as a display of pettiness and driven by personal motivations.
U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz, who won her McAllen competitive seat last year with the help of Republican leadership under McCarthy, excoriated the far-right rebellion.
De La Cruz expressed his previous comparison of Washington, D.C. to a telenovela, acknowledging that it may have been inaccurate. However, he now believes that the reality is even more troubling. He urged his fellow colleagues to abandon the triviality and focus on their duties.
De La Cruz is the representative of the most fiercely contested House district in Texas, and Democrats intend to allocate resources to secure the seat in the upcoming year. Additionally, a number of House Republicans in precarious positions have voiced their dissatisfaction, warning that the extremist elements within their party may estrange certain moderate voters.
On Friday, McCarthy expressed his concerns to journalists, stating that he believed the process had caused significant harm to our future progress. He voiced his apprehension about individuals retiring and the potential lack of resources to effectively carry out the job.
Meanwhile, Democrats have grown increasingly frustrated as dysfunction continues to hinder any progress on the legislative floor.
“It is unconscionable that Republicans are not seeking to collaborate with us to address this,” said U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar of El Paso. “They keep doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. That’s the definition of insanity.”
Despite modest discussions among moderate Republicans and Democrats about establishing a centrist coalition with increased power sharing, the idea did not gain significant support from the majority of Republicans.
Williams confidently stated as he entered the conference meeting on Friday morning, “In my opinion, Democrats are dispensable. As leaders, we were elected to guide, and that is exactly what we must do.”
And if there were to be a moderate Republican to lead a coalition government, Democrats were clear to say that Jordan would not be that candidate. Jordan was a major participant in former President Donald Trump’s attempts to undermine the 2020 election results.
U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, a centrist Democrat who said he would be open to voting for a moderate Republican in a power sharing deal, said Jordan is “divisive as they come” and his own party can’t get behind him, let alone Democrats.
Escobar mocked Jordan, labeling him as an “insurrectionist” and attributing to him the responsibility of a previous government shutdown.
Escobar expressed her astonishment and deep disappointment towards the man who, both literally and figuratively, attempted to set this place on fire. She hopes that as these individuals return to their constituents, they receive a wake-up call for their actions.
