The vote for House speaker has devolved into another bitter showdown for the gavel.

Firebrand Republican Rep. Jim Jordan failed again Wednesday on a crucial second ballot to become House speaker.

What’s more, Jordan earned fewer votes on the second ballot than on the first. On Wednesday, 22 centrist Republicans voted against Jordan, compared to 20 the day before. One Republican even voted for John Boehner, the House speaker from 2011 to 2015… eliciting laughter from allies.

Jordan managed to win three new voters, which included one Republican who was absent the day before.

All in all, Jordan won 199 votes Wednesday, compared to 200 the previous day.

Mainstream outlets pronounced Jordan’s bid as dead. An op-ed in The Hill announced, “Jordan for Speaker isn’t happening.”

However, Jordan seemed optimistic about his future prospects. “They voted for me before, I think they can come back again,” Jordan told national media, adding that he doesn’t know the date of the next round of voting.

His spokesperson Russel Dye told a reporter, “We’re going to keep going.”

The House is headed for a highly uncertain future, after rejecting three speakership candidates in as many weeks. Now, frustrated lawmakers are looking at other options.

The House is split 221-212, with Republicans in the majority. On both Tuesday and Wednesday, all 212 Democrats lined up behind Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, but no Republican has ever voted for Jeffries to become House speaker.

Republicans will likely look to a new candidate, like one of McCarthy’s deputies.

Meanwhile, a group of centrist lawmakers from both parties have floated an extraordinary plan: giving the interim speaker-pro-tempore, Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., more power to reopen the House and temporarily conduct routine business.

Jeffries himself expressed openness to voting for McHenry.

“All options are on the table to end the Republican civil war and get back to work,” Jeffries told a reporter. “We’ve been saying from the very beginning that we want a bipartisan path forward that does not involve Jim Jordan.”

However, McHenry may resist the bipartisan push.

We must stop attacking each other and come together.

There’s too much at stake.

Let’s get back to working on the crisis at the southern border, inflation, and helping Israel.

— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) October 18, 2023

 

Tuesday flashback! Jim Jordan fails to become House speaker

 

The Horn editorial team and the Associated Press contributed to this article.