Jim Jordan: GOP’s Next Choice to Win Impossible Speaker Race
House Republicans voted to make Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) their latest nominee for speaker after an insurmountable wave of detractors forced Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) to withdraw his bid for the post on Thursday.
In a private secret ballot held on Friday, Jordan edged out surprise challenger Rep. Austin Scott, a Georgia Republican who announced Friday morning that he would enter the race as an alternative to the archconservative Ohio Republican.
The final tally was 124 votes for Jordan and 81 for Scott, according to Punchbowl News. It was a disappointing show for Jordan, who had worked for days to rally support, in contrast with Scott who entered the race seemingly on a whim just hours before the vote began.