The House of Representatives has been without a speaker for more than two weeks and the quest to find a new one does not look like it’s ending anytime soon.
The majority of Republicans have since placed their faith in Representative Jim Jordan to take the position since Congressman Kevin McCarthy was ousted from the speakership on October 3. But after two floor votes this week, Jordan still lacks the support needed to win the seat.
The entirety of the Democratic caucus has stayed united behind Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries. Some moderate Republican and Democratic members, along with Jeffries, have also proposed expanding Patrick McHenry’s speaker pro tempore role for the time being to get the lower chamber of Congress up and running.
A handful of GOP lawmakers quashed that idea Thursday, and Jordan said that he plans to move forward with a third vote.
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How Many Votes Does It Take to Become Speaker?
The speaker is typically elected with a simple majority of the House—with 435 members, that means the threshold is 218 votes.
However, two seats in the House chamber currently sit empty, making the new target 217 votes. Former Rhode Island Representative David Cicilline resigned from office in June, and ex-Utah Congressman Chris Stewart resigned in September. Both of those positions will be filled by special elections in November.
As of now, Jordan is tasked with reaching the 217-threshold unless members of Congress are not in person to vote or if they choose to abstain. In January, McCarthy was elected in the 15th round of voting after six Republicans voted “present” on the House floor, which lowered the target for speakership to 215 votes.
Republicans hold a slim majority in the House, however, leading to further obstacles for any potential speaker nominee, as there are 221 Republicans and 212 Democrats, meaning that just five GOP members can stray from their party to upend the vote.
Where Did Jordan Leave Off?
Jordan’s candidacy for speaker faced roadblocks from the start. In a closed-door meeting last week, 119 Republicans first selected Congressman Steve Scalise to become the next speaker. Jordan was supported by 99.
A day later, Scalise withdrew his name from the race. Jordan ended up winning the next closed-door party vote, beating Georgia Representative Austin Scott 124 to 81.
But after two House floor votes this week, Jordan seems far from reaching 217. On Tuesday, 20 GOP members voted against him, and on Wednesday that number rose to 22. Some lawmakers have instead voted for McCarthy to return to his role. Others still voiced support for Scalise.
After hours behind closed doors on Thursday, Republicans decided to abandon a potential resolution to expand McHenry’s position, and Jordan announced that he was staying in the running.
“I’m still running for speaker, and I plan to go to the floor and get the votes and win this race,” Jordan told reporters, according to a report from CNN. “But I want to go talk with a few of my colleagues, particularly want to talk with the 20 individuals who voted against me, so that we can move forward and begin to work for the American people.”
Newsweek reached out to Jordan’s office for comment via email on Thursday.