Donald Trump ally Jim Jordan loses vote for US House Speaker

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Jim Jordan lost a vote to become Speaker of the House of Representatives on Tuesday afternoon, after 20 members of his own party voted against the firebrand Ohio Republican and staunch Donald Trump loyalist.

Earlier on Tuesday, Jordan indicated he would be willing to pursue multiple votes in order to be elected Speaker. But he faces an uphill battle if he is going to seize the Speaker’s gavel and end weeks of uncertainty in Washington.

Jordan can only afford to lose a handful of votes from his party to take the top job.

Jordan’s failure to be elected Speaker compounds the chaos that has gripped Capitol Hill in recent weeks, paralysing Congress at a time of mounting geopolitical turmoil in the Middle East.

Earlier in the day, Jordan was bullish about his chances, telling reporters on Capitol Hill: “We need to get a Speaker today, and we feel really good about where we are at.”

Speaking at a Manhattan courthouse, Trump reiterated his endorsement of Jordan, calling the 59-year-old congressman a “fantastic young man” who was “very strong” and had “very proper opinions about our country”.

“I think he is going to have the votes soon, if not today, over the next day or two, and I think he will end up being a great Speaker.”

Tuesday’s vote came after a dramatic two weeks in Washington, spurred by the removal of Kevin McCarthy as Speaker at the hands of a rebellion of eight members of his own party, who objected to him working with Democrats to avert a government shutdown.

McCarthy’s removal left the lower chamber of Congress rudderless, as Republicans struggled to coalesce around a successor and the House was unable to take up key pieces of legislation, including more foreign aid for Israel and Ukraine.

Jordan, the chair of the House judiciary committee and a founder of the House Freedom Caucus, emerged as the party’s nominee for Speaker late last week after Republicans failed to unite behind a candidate in several rounds of secret ballots.

Republicans control the House by a razor-thin margin, and Democrats have shown no willingness to endorse Jordan, who was described by House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries as an “extremist extraordinaire”. All 212 House Democrats voted for Jeffries for Speaker in Tuesday afternoon’s ballot.

Jordan appeared to have momentum on Monday afternoon, as several colleagues who initially opposed his candidacy said they would support him.

Jordan’s allies have not ruled out the possibility of multiple votes on the House floor in order to elect the Speaker. It took 15 rounds of voting in January to elect Kevin McCarthy.

Asked if he was willing to go as many rounds as McCarthy on Tuesday, Jordan replied: “Whatever it takes to get a Speaker today.”