Jordan won’t seek third speaker vote, backs plan to empower interim speaker

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) will not seek an additional speaker vote Thursday, and he will back a plan to give Rep. Patrick T. McHenry (R-N.C.), the temporary speaker, additional powers, according to multiple people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the situation. After two rounds of votes, a group of Republicans had made clear that Jordan did not have enough support to win the speaker’s gavel. With House functions at a standstill, lawmakers can now move forward on a proposal to expand McHenry’s powers.

Jordan is pausing his bid for now, but he remains the speaker designee and will reserve the option to hold a speaker vote at any time. Senior Democrats are supportive of the plan.

The group of Republicans that has prevented Jordan from becoming speaker includes some of the most moderate Republicans in the House as well as one member of the hard-right House Freedom Caucus.