Predictions that the second House vote to elected a speaker would be worse for Jim Jordan than the first one turned out to be correct—and some House Republicans say his chances in the third round don't look great. After failing to win Wednesday's vote, Jordan said that Republicans plan to hold the next vote at noon Thursday and that they intend to keep going "until we get a speaker," NBC News reports. To win a majority of 217, he can only lose four GOP votes, but 20 Republicans voted for somebody else on Tuesday. That rose to 22 on Wednesday even though two lawmakers who voted against him Tuesday flipped their votes.
Rep. Mario Diaz-Balar, who voted for House Majority Leader Steve Scalise in both rounds, tells CNN that he'll never support Jordan for speaker, predicting that he'll lose a "bigger chunk" of the conference in the third vote. Rep. Don Bacon, who supports ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy, said Jordan should withdraw because he "doesn't have any path forward to 217." Rep. Steve Womack, another Jordan opponent, predicted that the third vote would be the "final straw," Politico reports.
Some of Jordan's opponents said they had faced pressure from Jordan and his allies to change their vote, making them even more determined to oppose him, the Washington Post reports. "Intimidation and threats will not change my position," said Rep. Kay Granger. Some lawmakers have discussed boosting the powers of Rep. Patrick McHenry, the interim speaker, an idea former GOP Speakers Newt Gingrich and John Boehner expressed support for on Wednesday, the AP reports. (More speaker of the House stories.)
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