Table Of Content
- House Republican on speaker's race: 'Lord Jesus himself' couldn't get 217 votes
- White House and lawmakers weigh linking Ukraine and Israel aid
- McCarthy, so far, is still absent from tonight's House GOP meeting
- Jordan fails to win House speakership in second vote
- House Speaker Johnson booed at Columbia speech

WASHINGTON (AP) — For a long and frustrating third day, divided Republicans kept the speaker’s chair of the U.S. House empty Thursday, as party leader Kevin McCarthy failed again and again in an excruciating string of ballots to win enough GOP votes to seize the chamber’s gavel. It's unclear how much of an impact the former president's backing would have on the race for speaker — he endorsed Rep. Jim Jordan's bid last week, but after three failed attempts to win a majority on the floor, the Ohio congressman was forced to drop his bid Friday. "I'm staying above it. I have to right now," the former president told reporters Monday in New Hampshire. "But I've spoken to just about all the candidates, there are quite a few of them. And they're terrific people."
House Republican on speaker's race: 'Lord Jesus himself' couldn't get 217 votes
“It doesn’t mean there’s not healthy conversations for us as a conference,” Cloud told reporters. "I just shared with my colleagues that I’m withdrawing my name as candidate for the speaker designee," he said. "Our conference still has to come together and is not there. There are still some people that have their own agendas. And it was very clear we have to have everybody put their agendas on the side and focus on what this country needs." Scalise confirmed to reporters he was dropping his bid for speaker a day after his nomination. "Look, when I decided to run before, I waited until the next day after Kevin [McCarthy] made his decision. I thought that was appropriate. I will do the same thing right now. I’ll wait," he told reporters. GOP Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska, a Kevin McCarthy supporter, told CNN that the speaker vote process could go on "for a long time."
White House and lawmakers weigh linking Ukraine and Israel aid
Since 1839, the House has elected speakers by roll call vote.[15] Traditionally, each party's caucus selects a candidate for the speakership from among its senior leaders prior to the roll call. Rep. Austin Scott of Georgia, who ran for speaker as a protest candidate against Jordan in the House GOP conference, also voted to certify the 2020 election. The third nominee, Majority Whip Tom Emmer, dropped out of the Republican race for speaker just four hours after he was elected Tuesday. He failed to persuade far-right members of the conference to support him on the floor. In the first round of voting, Jeffries received 212 votes from all Democrats, Jim Jordan received 200 votes from most Republicans, and seven others received some Republican votes despite not being formally nominated.
McCarthy, so far, is still absent from tonight's House GOP meeting
Mike Johnson clinches GOP House speaker nomination hours after Tom Emmer drops out: Highlights - NBC News
Mike Johnson clinches GOP House speaker nomination hours after Tom Emmer drops out: Highlights.
Posted: Tue, 24 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Boebert, though, voted "present," which lowers the total number of members and members-elect voting and votes needed for McCarthy to claim the gavel. According to the vote-counters, 432 votes were cast, with McCarthy receiving 216 of them, falling short in his bid to win the speaker's gavel. Former President Donald Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, to extend congratulations to McCarthy following his election to the speakership. Monday, and it was agreed to by voice vote, capping four straight days of voting that close with McCarthy's election as speaker. Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky said “probably, not immediately” when asked whether he believed any of the candidates can reach the requisite votes on the floor.
Republican lawmaker laments fight impeding ability to help in Israel and Gaza
And Republican candidates were also outraised in two other “toss-up” seats being vacated by Democratic incumbents in Michigan. In races against Schweikert, Garcia, Calvert, Lawler and Molinaro, a Democratic candidate also finished the first quarter of 2024 with more cash on hand than the incumbent. Ten of the 11 Republican incumbents in races rated as “toss ups” by The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter were outraised by at least one Democratic challenger. Oregon Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer was the only GOP incumbent in that category to lead her district in fundraising. Republicans have sounded the alarm in recent years that Democrats are overwhelming their candidates in fundraising. And despite making some improvements last year, some of the most vulnerable House Republicans are once again falling behind their Democratic opponents.
October 9, 2023 - Jim Jordan, Steve Scalise run to replace Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker
Emmer voted to certify the 2020 election results after Jan. 6, 2021, but signed onto an amicus brief asking the Supreme Court to overturn the presidential election results. Emmer can only afford four defections in a vote on the House floor to still win the speakership. "I've supported every Republican nominee to be Speaker of the House so far, but I will not vote for Tom Emmer on the House floor," he said. Rep. Tom Emmer has dropped out of the race for speaker, mere hours after Republicans elected him as the GOP nominee, according to several House Republicans.
Rep. Kevin McCarthy has now been nominated in the 10th round of voting as the House works to break a stalemate and elect a new speaker. Some Jordan holdouts are refusing to meet with the speaker designee or to take his calls, sources told CNN — a sign of the uphill climb Jordan faces in winning over his opposition. A small minority of the conference "took the wheels off our car and we need to be acting right now on Israel,” Bacon told CNN. “They don't support the institution. They don't support our party. All these folks care about is media clicks." It’s an open question whether hardliners in the House — who have been vehemently opposed to giving more to Ukraine — would back that effort.
The meeting of House Republicans has not yet ended, and most of the members remain behind closed doors — where they may be deciding what to do next. "If Steve Scalise doesn’t have the votes then we need to see, maybe Jim Jordan can get to the 217 necessary. We never asked that question," she said. Rep. Mike Garcia, R-Calif., predicted Jordan might have the same problem that Scalise faced — getting 217 votes on the House floor.

Garcia said about Scalise and Jordan, "I think both of them are capable," but he added, "I don't know if there's gonna be a speaker tomorrow morning," meaning it could take longer before Republicans can settle on who can get 217 votes on the House floor. Rep. Gary Palmer of Alabama has been in the House since 2015, and he currently serves as the chairman of the Republican Policy Committee. Emmer, who was first elected to Congress in 2014, has the endorsement of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who was ousted from the speakership almost three weeks ago. Republican Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota is now the GOP nominee for speaker, besting Rep. Mike Johnson in Republicans' final secret ballot, according to House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik. The vote indicates that Emmer faces a tough road to securing the 217 votes needed to win the speaker's gavel.
President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed a controversial aid package bill that provides billions of dollars for the Israeli military. Lawmakers who supported the aid have been among targets of the protesters. In Brooklyn, police made arrests for disorderly conduct late Tuesday during a street protest near the residence of Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the majority leader. Arkansas Rep. Steve Womack derided what he referred to as the “attack, attack, attack” tactics of allies of Speaker designee Jim Jordan against those members who have voted against his speakership bid.
Republicans are eager to avoid the drawn-out floor fight that happened earlier this year when it took McCarthy 15 ballots to be elected speaker. Rep. Keith Self, R-Texas, posted on X that he plans to vote for Jordan in a floor vote for speaker. He said that he had come to this decision because "it has become evident that all the agreements and Rules with the former Speaker are null and void." Scalise told reporters that House Republicans had a "very constructive two-and-a-half-hour long meeting" this afternoon, and now members will continue to speak in smaller groups. “The bottom line is we have a very fractured conference, and to limit ourselves to just getting 217 out of our conference, I think, is not a wise path,” Rogers said, adding that Republicans may “absolutely” need some Democratic votes to elect a speaker.
He also says he's not concerned about setting the threshold for a motion to vacate the chair to a single member. This would allow any single member to call for a vote of no confidence in the speaker. It's a demand that was made by some of the holdouts and one he recently conceded, though he initially opposed it. He didn't win enough to become speaker, but the 14 votes switched in his favor showed progress in a stalemate that has lasted over three days.
One faction, comprising an overwhelming majority of the House GOP caucus, is interested in accomplishing the possible. The other is more interested in aiming for the impossible and then complaining about falling short. If Phelan comes out ahead in the runoff, he'll likely face a separate challenge to his speakership from Rep. Tom Oliverson, R-Cypress, who announced last monththat he would seek the House's top spot in 2025. "He has been unwilling to answer to constituents," Maddux said of Phelan. "He simply cannot defend his liberal record to the people of Southeast Texas." Nick Maddux, a general consultant for Covey, in a statement Thursday reiterated the campaign's frustration with Phelan over the debate and took issue with the arrangements for the April 1 offer from the news stations and over its potential moderator.
House Republicans vote to drop Jim Jordan; more candidates enter speaker race - The Washington Post
House Republicans vote to drop Jim Jordan; more candidates enter speaker race.
Posted: Fri, 20 Oct 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
“Typically, judges prefer the route that allows a candidate to stay on the ballot,” Levinson said, noting concerns some have expressed about interfering with the democratic process. A dozen people have jumped into the race, but McCarthy’s chosen Republican successor was barred from the ballot and on Friday sued the California secretary of state in an attempt to reverse the decision. In her ruling, Chang wrote that allowing Fong to run for both offices “somewhat defies common sense” and might also confuse voters. The California Secretary of State said that Bakersfield Republican Vince Fong cannot run for Kevin McCarthy’s seat in Congress because he is already running for re-election to the California State Assembly. The decision by Judge Shelleyanne W.L. Chang overrules the office of the Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber, which in mid-December denied Fong’s bid to appear on the March 5 primary ballot. Valadao is also being challenged from the right by a fellow Republican, former Fresno City Council member Chris Mathys.
Rep. Dan Meuser dropped out of the race Monday evening, leaving eight House Republicans still in the running. A number of House Republicans were still undecided on whom they will back as speaker as they headed into a forum where the candidates made their pitch over roughly two and a half hours. Democratic infighting in the 2024 primary, when Salas faced competition from fellow Democrat Melissa Hurtado, cost the party establishment millions to consolidate support behind Salas.
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