House Speaker Emeritus Kevin McCarthy vows to do everything in his power to push Rep. Jim Jordan over the finish line to become the next president.
Jordan (R-Oh.) appears to lack enough votes to claim the gavel as he prepares for Tuesday’s vote. Still, McCarthy (R-Calif.) was optimistic about Jordan’s prospects.
“I think Jim Jordan can do it,” McCarthy (R-Calif.) told Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures.
“I am someone who understands how difficult it is. I came in with more support during this time, but I think at the end of the day, Jim can get there.
“I’m doing everything I can to help him become a speaker.”
McCarthy’s optimism was a slight change in tone from when House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) sought the presidency last week.
There are questions about whether Jim Jordan has the votes necessary to become president before the vote scheduled for Tuesday. Getty Images
“It’s possible but it’s a big hill. He [Scalise] I told a lot of people I was going to be at 150 and it wasn’t there,” McCarthy told reporters at the time.
McCarthy raises real questions about Scalise’s ability to hit 216…and raises questions about his whip operation.
“It’s possible but it’s a big hill. He (Scalise) told a lot of people that he was going to be at 150 and he wasn’t there, so…” pic.twitter.com/MwTiLWUjmV
—Ryan Nobles (@ryanobles) October 12, 2023
Scalise initially edged out Jordan in a tight 113-99 closed-door vote by House Republicans to be the presidential nominee. After failing to get enough votes, Scalise dropped out of consideration Thursday night.
Jordan got the party’s nod to be president the next day in a vote of 124 to 81. Surprisingly, his main opponent, Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.), announced his candidacy only about four hours earlier and managed to attract dozens of deserters.
Former President Donald Trump endorsed Jordan during his matchup against Scalise.
Kevin McCarthy publicly endorses Jim Jordan as next speaker. Getty Images Matt Gaetz led the crusade to oust Kevin McCarthy from the presidency. Getty Images
McCarthy was ousted on Oct. 3 in a coup by eight Republicans led by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), who joined a solid bloc of Democrats.
The former president still has some allies on his side who want him to compete again. Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.), for example, previously indicated that he would stick with McCarthy.
Earlier this month, Jordan publicly suggested that Republicans should not come to the floor to vote until they were sure the presidential candidate had enough support.
“We shouldn’t go to the House floor until we have 218 votes for Speaker of the United States House of Representatives,” Jordan told Fox News. “We shouldn’t have to go through what we went through in January.”
Steve Scalise ended his run for president last week. REUTERS
Now that he’s the speaker candidate, Jordan appears to be changing tactics. Advisories from House Republicans and Democrats indicated that a presidential vote is likely Tuesday.
The measure appears to represent a pressure strategy on the part of Jordan to embarrass those who resist and dispel skeptic moderates.
Many of Jordan’s allies, like Gaetz, have publicly pushed for the GOP to select a speaker as soon as possible.
Such a pressure campaign risks alienating moderates, Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Tx.) surmised.
“So what I would really recommend to Jordan’s allies as well is that many of them have mounted this high-pressure campaign,” Crenshaw said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
“That’s the dumbest way to support Jordan, and I’m rooting for Jordan,” he continued. “As someone who loves Jim Jordan, the dumbest thing you can do is keep pissing off those people and entrench them.”
Jim Jordan was once the leader of the hardline conservative Freedom Caucus. REUTERS
In public, Jordan has adopted a more unifying tone.
“The differences between Republicans and Democrats in the House far outweigh our differences in the Republican Conference. This country and the Republican Conference cannot afford to have us attack each other. It’s time to get to work,” he posted on X Sunday.
The differences between Republicans and Democrats in the House far outweigh our differences in the Republican Conference.
This country and the Republican Conference cannot afford to have us attack each other.
It’s time to get to work.
— Representative Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) October 15, 2023
Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) stressed that Democrats are “ready, willing and able” to work to resolve the impasse.
“There are informal conversations that have been going on. When we return to Washington tomorrow, it’s important to start formalizing those discussions,” Jeffries told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday.
Since McCarthy’s ouster, the House has been paralyzed, unable to vote on pressing national security concerns such as the war in Israel, the war in Ukraine and the Nov. 17 government shutdown deadline.
Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry (R-NC) has taken the reins in the meantime. But his powers are deeply limited.
Republicans have a four-seat majority and any potential speaker would need to achieve a majority to claim the gavel, which could be 217 depending on turnout.
In January, McCarthy won a historically unprecedented 15-vote marathon to ascend to the presidency, which he did without a vote to spare.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn