Headline Roundup • October 13th, 2023
House Republicans Tap Jim Jordan for Speaker but Remain Divided
Politics,US House,Republican Party,Jim Jordan,Steve Scalise,Hakeem Jeffries,Polarization,US Congress
Summary from the AllSides News Team
House Republicans voted 124-81 on Friday to nominate Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) for House speaker.
For Context: The vote came a day after Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) failed to unite enough Republicans behind him and withdrew his name from consideration. With Democrats united in supporting Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Republicans can only afford to lose four members of their caucus in a confirmation vote. The math isn’t looking any better for Jordan; in a separate Friday vote, only 152 Republicans said they would vote for Jordan on the House floor — far fewer than the 217 he needs to become speaker.
Key Quotes: Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is backing Jordan’s speaker bid, saying he doesn’t “see a problem” with Jordan getting to 217 votes. On the other hand, former Republican congresswoman Liz Cheney said nominating Jordan would “be abandoning the Constitution,” adding that Republicans would “lose the House majority and they’ll deserve to.”
How the Media Covered It: Coverage was common throughout the media. Echoing previous coverage, some headlines described the House, and Republicans specifically, as being in “disarray.” Coverage in some center-rated outlets was particularly descriptive of Jordan’s politics; BBC News (Center bias) called him a “conservative firebrand,” and Reuters (Center bias) called him a “longtime critic of top US House Republicans” and “a vocal advocate for the party's right wing.”
Featured Coverage of this Story
AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
On Capitol Hill, House Republicans named Rep. Jim Jordan as their nominee for Speaker of the House on Friday afternoon. But that doesn't mean he's guaranteed to become Speaker. It's just the next step in that direction.
The Ohio congressman must still secure support from the rest of his colleagues ahead of a House floor vote.
Republican House Majority Leader Steve Scalise bowed out after it was unclear whether he could get the needed 217 votes.
Rep. Jordan was the runner-up to Scalise in the first nomination vote. "I think...
Amanda Andrade-Rhoades For USA TODAY
House Republicans, befallen by disorder and infighting, nominated Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio., for speaker after an internal secret ballot vote behind closed-doors Friday, marking another step towards electing a new leader as the lower chamber is in its 10th day without a speaker.
Jordan, the House Judiciary Committee chair, defeated Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., who made a surprise entrance into the speaker’s race hours earlier as an anti-Jordan alternative.
The conference’s nomination however, is just a formal endorsement from the majority of GOP lawmakers. For Jordan to become speaker, he will...
REUTERS
Conservative firebrand Jim Jordan has been chosen as Republican nominee to become Speaker of the House.
Mr Jordan, who has the backing of former President Donald Trump, faced opposition from Georgia lawmaker Austin Scott.
The Ohio congressman won 124 votes from party members in the secret ballot held on Friday afternoon, the BBC's US partner CBS News reported.
But Mr Jordan still faces significant opposition within the party.
Supporters of Steve Scalise - who was nominated as the party's candidate for Speaker on Wednesday before withdrawing - have vowed to...
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