WASHINGTON — Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, dropped out of the speaker's race Friday after he lost a vote of confidence during a closed-door meeting of Republicans, just moments after the Donald Trump-backed candidate was defeated on the House floor for a third consecutive time this week.
The internal, secret-ballot vote was 86 Republicans for Jordan, the latest GOP nominee for speaker, and 112 saying they wanted to move on and pick someone else, according to lawmakers leaving the meeting.
"We need to come together and figure out who our speaker is going to be," Jordan said, recalling his message to colleagues in the meeting. "I'm gonna work as hard as I can to help that individual so that we can go help the American people."
It marked yet another unexpected twist in the GOP's weekslong speaker saga and threw the chamber into further chaos.
House Republicans won't return to Washington until Monday, when they will hold a third speaker candidates forum in the evening. A new internal speaker vote is scheduled for 9 a.m. ET Tuesday, and the House could hold a floor vote that same day, according to Speaker Pro Tem Patrick McHenry, R-N.C.
"It's my goal to be talking to you at this time next Friday as chairman of the Financial Services Committee," McHenry quipped to reporters, referring to his existing post atop that panel.
Those interested in running have until noon ET Sunday to declare their candidacy. Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., the No. 3 Republican in leadership, began making calls for a speaker bid on Friday, two sources close to the congressman said. Emmer quickly picked up an endorsement from former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. GOP Conference Vice Chair Mike Johnson, R-La., also started making calls, a source said Friday. A day later, Emmer and Johnson both announced that they're officially entering the race.
Little-known Rep. Austin Scott, R-Ga., who challenged Jordan for speaker, said he'll run again, and Rep. Kevin Hern, R-Okla., who flirted with a speaker run earlier, also launched a bid.
"I'm in," Hern, chairman of the Republican Study Committee, the largest caucus of conservatives on Capitol Hill, told NBC News as he left the room.
Others who said they are officially running include Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, a former Rules Committee chairman; Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Mich., a retired Marine Corps lieutenant general; and Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., who was nominated for speaker by his conservative Freedom Caucus colleagues in January.
Several others are considering jumping in as well, including Budget Chairman Jodey Arrington and Small Business Chairman Roger Williams, both Texas Republicans; and Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., a former business executive.
"I come from the business world, and I plan to bring, if I run, a business perspective to things and gain consensus," Meuser said.
Earlier Friday, a “hodgepodge” of 25 entrenched GOP lawmakers blocked Jordan from winning the speaker’s gavel for a third time, raising doubts from even his close allies about whether he would stay in the race.
Jordan, the Judiciary Committee chairman, received 194 votes — 21 short of the number he needed to be elected speaker on the House floor based on attendance. All 210 Democrats rallied behind Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York.
Jordan received five fewer votes than he did on the second ballot on Wednesday, a sign that things were trending in the wrong direction for his speaker bid.
"We are in a very bad place right now," McCarthy said leaving the House floor on Friday.
"We are absolutely paralyzed and ungovernable as a conference," added another House Republican who backs Jordan.
Speaking at a campaign reception Friday night, President Joe Biden joked about the speaker election saying Jordan got "his rear end kicked."
Jordan did not manage to win over any of his detractors on Friday, while three of his moderate supporters threw their support to other candidates in the roll call. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., co-chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers, switched to McHenry, while vulnerable Reps. Tom Kean of New Jersey voted for McCarthy, and Marc Molinaro of New York cast his ballot for former Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y.
Ahead of the vote, Molinaro said that he felt the best approach would be "to return to conference and select a conservative who can in fact unite the conference."
"And by the way, allow Jim that opportunity to make that case," he added. "Not by continued votes on the floor, but by a real conversation again at the conference."
Rep. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., a Jordan backer, missed the vote as he traveled to Israel to examine conditions on the ground in its war with Hamas.
Unlike the conservative hard-liners who ejected McCarthy from the speaker's office on Oct. 3 and scuttled Majority Leader Steve Scalise's bid to succeed him, the bloc of anti-Jordan Republicans is a mix of moderates, conservatives, New Yorkers, Floridians, defense hawks and appropriators, including the powerful Appropriations Chair Kay Granger of Texas.
"This is more of a hodgepodge group," said Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., who backs Jordan.
Following the vote, Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas was seen smoking a cigar and telling reporters that Jordan "does not have the votes." Nehls, who supported Jordan in the first three votes, said his fourth vote will be for Trump.
A day earlier, tensions boiled over during another private GOP meeting, with McCarthy and his allies screaming at Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., the leader of the eight Republicans who voted to oust McCarthy as speaker nearly three weeks ago.
On Friday, seven of the eight, whom McCarthy has dubbed the "Hateful Eight," tried to make amends, sending a letter to colleagues that was obtained by NBC News saying they'd be willing to accept punishment — including censure or removal from the conference — if it would persuade holdouts to back Jordan.
"What unites us as Republicans is more important than our disagreements," they wrote. "We must now come together to elect Jim Jordan."
But Jordan's foes, emboldened by Friday's vote, showed no signs of folding. Rep. Carlos Gimenez, R-Fla., a McCarthy supporter, said there was nothing that would make him flip his vote to Jordan.
Jordan "asked us what we wanted. ... We don't want a committee. We don't want anything. So it's difficult for him to say, 'Hey, what can I do to please you?'" Gimenez said, recounting a Thursday meeting with Jordan.
"I think the 22 [holdouts] are really solid," he continued. "We picked up another three. I think more people are going to come around and say, 'You've had your chance, let's go, it's time to move on.' Keeping this up only divides the party."
