Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) became the second House Republican to secure the nomination to be the next House speaker this week, but he faces an uphill battle to win the gavel.
After Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) withdrew from the race following hours of meetings, the conference selected Jordan as its new nominee one day later. The House voted in a secret ballot 124-81 on Friday to make Jordan the speaker-designee, followed by another vote to gauge how Jordan would fare on the House floor. The second vote yielded a smaller margin of Jordan opponents, at 152-55.
The re-vote indicated many Republicans are still reluctant to line up behind the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. Jordan’s supporters say he plans to close the margin and sway more support his way this weekend, as the Ohioan has a long way to go to get the 217 votes needed to win the job.
“I think he has a very, very difficult task ahead of him,” said Rep. Mario Diaz Balart (R-FL), who voted against Jordan and has indicated he will likely not support him on the floor. “That’s a really big mountain.”
Read more at Washingtonexaminer.com
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