Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan dropped out of the race for House speaker Friday after he lost a third round of floor balloting and his GOP colleagues subsequently voted in a private meeting against him continuing his candidacy.
Republicans will try to regroup next week, with a private forum Monday night for new candidates for the speakership. The GOP conference is expected to vote on the new candidates Tuesday morning.
The candidates will include Oklahoma Rep. Kevin Hern, chairman of the Republican Study Committee, a large and relatively mainstream conservative organization of GOP members.
“We need a different type of leader who has a proven track record of success, which is why I’m running for Speaker of the House,” Hern announced on X, formerly Twitter.
Under Hern’s leadership, the RSC has released budget plans that include deep cuts in farm and nutrition programs.
Georgia Rep. Austin Scott, who chairs a House Agriculture subcommittee, also jumped into the race.
"If we are going to be the majority we need to act like the majority, and that means we have to do the right things the right way. I supported and voted for Rep. Jim Jordan to be the Speaker of the House. Now that he has withdrawn I am running again to be the Speaker of the House," Scott said in a post on X.
Others in the race included Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota and Byron Donalds of Florida. Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington of Texas said he was considering it. Arrington represents a major farm district in west Texas.
Lawmakers have until noon Sunday to register their candidacy.
Jordan, a co-founder of the House Freedom Caucus and a favorite of hardline conservatives, had long been seen as a critic of biofuel and farm programs, and had never voted for a farm bill during his House tenure, but farm-district members were reassured from conversations with him while he was seeking the speakership.
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During the floor vote on Jordan on Friday, 25 Republicans voted for candidates other than Jordan, leaving him well short of the House majority needed to be elected speaker. The GOP conference then held a private referendum on Jordan, and he lost 86-112, according to Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla.
“It’s disappointing, as I supported Jim Jordan, but at this point we have to figure out how we’re going to move forward,” Cammack said.
GOP members widely expressed frustration with the outcome.
“Many of us came to Congress in the Republican Party to stop socialism in America, and we're threatening our leadership with this one branch of government that we have control of,” said Rep. John Duarte, R-Calif.
A leading budget hawk, Rep. Tom Massie, R-Ky., said Jordan was the best hope for unifying the House GOP because of his credibility with hardline conservatives, who forced the ouster of then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., on Oct. 3.
“I'm worried that the next person is going to have a Kevin McCarthy problem, having this motion to vacate hanging over their head,” Massie said. Under current rules, a single lawmaker can force a vote on removing the speaker.
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