Kentucky Republicans unite around Jim Jordan for speaker, but second vote fails
Kentucky Congressmen Andy Barr and Thomas Massie began last week backing different candidates to be the next U.S. House Speaker.
Now both men and the rest of the commonwealth’s Republican delegation are united behind Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, a conservative hardliner, to lead the chamber.
But Jordan does not yet have the necessary votes, illustrating a complicated divide fracturing the larger Republican caucus in the wake of Kevin McCarthy’s abrupt ouster two weeks ago.
While all five of the state’s Republican representatives voted to elevate Jordan to the helm of the House on Tuesday afternoon, Jordan still fell 17 votes short of the majority necessary to take the gavel. He fell short again in a second vote Wednesday. The outcome left the possibility of a prolonged fight on the House floor that could extend throughout the week, endangering legislative business as the world grapples with wars in the Middle East and Ukraine.
The state’s lone Democratic member, Rep. Morgan McGarvey of Louisville, cast his ballot for Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries.
Barr, a longtime ally of GOP leadership, initially backed the No. 2 ranking Republican, Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana to succeed McCarthy.
“Steve Scalise is the uniter in our conference right now,” Barr indicated during an interview on Fox Business last week. “He is a trusted conservative. As the majority whip, he was consistent in bringing together 218 votes. As our majority leader, he has transformed a conservative agenda into legislative action.”
But Scalise withdrew his candidacy after it became clear he would not be able to secure the 217 votes necessary on the House floor. Jordan, Scalise’s opponent, was then nominated by the GOP caucus.
“He was short of the votes, which I think was a mistake,” Barr said of Scalise on Fox Business. “But I fully support Jim Jordan for speaker now because our unity is our strength. We need a speaker for sure.”
Jordan earned the early boosting of northern Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, who serves alongside him on the House Judiciary Committee. Massie argued that people expected Washington to take a different approach after the ousting of McCarthy, which precluded elevating a member already in leadership.
“Support for Jordan is surging ... Please thank the patriots here who have announced support for Jim Jordan,” Massie tweeted before the speaker vote on Tuesday. Massie actually received a single vote for speaker himself — via Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana.
Rep. James Comer, the House Oversight chairman leading the stalled impeachment inquiry of President Joe Biden, was quiet about his choice for speaker until Monday when he endorsed Jordan.
“I have worked very closely with Jim on Oversight issues and know that he will be a strong leaders who is serious about spending reductions and holding government bad actors accountable,” Comer tweeted.
But the fate of Jordan’s candidacy now lays in the hands of Republicans outside of Kentucky, some of whom worry he is too divisive and bombastic to serve as a unifier.
This story was originally published October 17, 2023 at 3:30 PM with the headline "Kentucky Republicans unite around Jim Jordan for speaker, but second vote fails."
