House Republicans look for reset after Jordan loses Speaker fight: recap

To end the week, Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz (Fla.) described the Speaker drama using only Disney characters.

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The field of those vying to be the new House Speaker nominee is quickly becoming crowded. The House will return on Monday evening to choose a new nominee.

One of the rumored hopefuls is House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.).

Here’s what you need to know about Emmer.

— Lauren Irwin

Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.) likened the ongoing drama between House Republicans trying to choose a Speaker to “peeing on the electric fence” during a Friday CNN interview.

Womack joined CNN’s Jake Tapper where he was asked why amid two major foreign policy crises and a pending government shutdown, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), who had three failed Speaker votes, would “waste this entire week.”

“Sometimes we can be slow learners. It is kind of ironic that we’re doing this interview in the shadows of the Will Rodgers statue from Oklahoma right behind me,” Womack said inside the Capitol. “And you remember what Will said about this whole business of learning: you can learn, people learn by reading, people can learn by observation, and sometimes people learn by just peeing on the electric fence for themselves.”

— Lauren Irwin

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Rep. Mark Green (R-Tenn.), chair of the Homeland Security Committee and a member of the House Freedom Caucus, has decided to not run for speaker, per his office.

His name had repeatedly been floated over the last several weeks.

— Emily Brooks

Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is endorsing House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) for Speaker, The Hill can confirm.

Punchbowl News first reported that McCarthy said: “He is the right person for the job. He can unite the conference. He understand the dynamics of the conference. He also understands what it takes to win and keep a majority.”

— Emily Brooks

Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.), vice chairman of the House Republican Conference, is also making calls about running for Speaker.

Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) is running for Speaker, according a spokesperson for his office.

— Emily Brooks

Rep. Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) said he is mulling a bid for speaker after Jordan exited the race.

“I would say I am seriously considering and still praying about it,” he said, adding there were “a lot of people to talk to before that decision is made.”

Arrington, who was interrupted by reporters while speaking with his wife after exiting the GOP conference meeting, was overheard saying “What do you want me to do honey?”

The Texas lawmaker said he would speak with the rest of his state’s delegation and that “a number of members have asked us to consider it.”

— Rebecca Beitsch

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) is making calls for a run for Speaker, a source familiar tells The Hill.

— Emily Brooks

Rep. Carlos Giménez (R-Fla.) said he would be dropping his “Only Kevin” stance after Jordan’s Speakership race exit.

“I’m no longer Only Kevin,” he said.

His team was wearing OK buttons this morning, reflecting Gimenez’s holdout status and commitment to former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).

Giménez told The Hill he wanted “somebody that we say ‘We respect that individual.’ Do we agree with that individual 100% of time? Maybe not. But somebody we can respect that can unify the party, the different factions, and then drives our agenda. That’s what I’m looking for.”

— Rebecca Beitsch

Rep. Mike Kelly (R-Penn.) credited the secret ballot with tanking Rep. Jim Jordan’s (R-Ohio) Speakership bid.

“I think that the idea of having a secret ballot really made it possible for those people that didn’t want their people back home to know who they voted for or who they didn’t vote for,” said Kelly, who refused to support Jordan.

“When you go to the secret ballot, then all of a sudden well nobody’s ever gonna know. All the totals, I think, were surprising. It was overwhelming,” he added.

— Rebecca Beitsch

Speaker Pro Tem Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) said Friday that House Republicans will vote Tuesday morning on a new pick for Speaker.

The House GOP conference will hold a candidate forum Monday evening at 6:30 p.m. and vote on a new Speaker-designate the following morning, McHenry said.

McHenry said installing a new Speaker by the end of Tuesday is the “goal.”

“We need space and time for candidates to talk to other members,” McHenry said.

He argued that neither of the GOP’s two previous Speaker-designates — Reps. Steve Scalise (La.) and Jim Jordan (Ohio) — had adequate time to campaign for support before their failed votes.

Jordan said he told his colleagues “it was an honor to be their speaker designee. But I felt it was important that we all — we all know an answer to the question, do they want me to continue in that role. And so we put the question to them and they made a decision.”

He also said he told the conference, “that we need to come together and figure out who our Speaker is going to be and I’m going to work as hard as I can to help that individual so that we can go help the American people.”

— Emily Brooks

Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said Friday he was concerned about who would succeed him after Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) lost the support of the conference.

“On a very serious note, this is talking about that person third in line to the presidency, and the furthest step anybody takes us from the front row to the podium,” McCarthy told reporters after Jordan lost a secret ballot to remain the House GOP’s Speaker-designate.

House Republicans are expected to hold a candidate forum Monday.

“A lot of people here might put their name and might not have knowledge of what it takes,” McCarthy said.

“I hope we have some other people up for the job. They both could have done the job,” McCarthy said, referencing Jordan and Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.), both of whom failed to win the 217 votes necessary to become Speaker.

Rep. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.), the chairman of the Republican Study Committee, said Friday that he is running for Speaker of the House.

Asked why he is running, Hern told reporters, “It’s pretty obvious that our delegation is looking at something to be different than what we’ve seen so far. I bring a different perspective than possibly anybody else that could be running in this race, spending a lifetime in business before coming here five years ago.”

“There’s a lot of historical relationships that some are not going to be able to work around, and I don’t have those negatives out there,” he added.

In a statement posted to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, Hern noted that he had voted for Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) to remain Speaker Designate.

“But,” he continued, “the Conference had determined that he will no longer hold that title. We just had two Speaker Designates go down. We must unify and do it fast. I’ve spoken to every Member of the Conference over the last few weeks. 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 had previously floated making a bid, but ultimately decided against it earlier this month.

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) says he will not run for Speaker again following the Republican conference’s vote to no longer back Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).

Scalise previously dropped out of the Speaker race when he was unable to garner the necessary Republican support after winning the GOP nomination for the role.

The House GOP will hold a candidate forum Monday night and election Tuesday morning after the conference voted to no longer back Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) for Speaker on Friday, Republican lawmakers said.

Candidates for Speaker must submit their names by Sunday at noon. The candidate forum will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Monday.

The Republican conference on Friday voted to no longer back House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) as Speaker.

The move came hours after Jordan’s third failed ballot on the House floor. He had lost GOP support with each successive vote.

— Mychael Schnell and Emily Brooks

Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) says the secret ballot on Jordan’s candidacy is happening now.

“Jim Jordan said let the conference decide. He thinks that the conference should decide so we’re doing a secret ballot,” he told reporters.

Rep. Dan Meuser (R-Pa.) said that members’ voting options are “yes” and “no” for Jordan, as well as “present.”

— Aris Folley

Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-N.Y.) said the three Long Island Republicans withholding support from Rep. Jim Jordan’s (R-Ohio) Speakership bid are the least of the Ohio Republicans’ worries as he tries to lock up support for the gavel.

D’Esposito and Reps. Andrew Garbarino (R-N.Y.) and Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.) have been engaging with Jordan to find a path to supporting his Speakership bid, but a firm deal has not been reached. The New York trio has laid out requests pertaining to SALT cap relief, 9/11 healthcare funding, floor insurance legislation and assurances related to federal spending.

“I think the three of us are, unfortunately right now, the least of his worries,” D’Esposito said shortly after the third ballot, where Jordan lost 25 GOP votes.

Asked about the ongoing conversations, D’Esposito said “We think we’re making progress, but we just need some definitive answers to get where we need to be.”

“I think so,” he responded when asked if Jordan seems like he wants to reach a deal with them. “The door’s not closed, I think that he hears our concerns, he understands that there are issues that are important to us.”

— Mychael Schnell

Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) told reporters Friday that he was added to Rep. Andy Biggs’ (R-Ariz.) letter by mistake.

The letter from the eight Republicans who voted out former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) offered up themselves to be punished in the hopes of electing Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) as Speaker.

Buck, who has not supported Jordan, was listed on the first version of the letter. A later version distributed by Rep. Matt Gaetz’s (R-Fla.) office did not include Buck.

— Nick Robertson

Rep. John Rutherford (R-Fla.), who has withheld support from Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) on all three ballots, implored the Judiciary Committee Chairman to withdraw his name from the Speaker’s race as he struggles to secure enough votes to win the gavel.

“We’ve got to get him out of the way,” Rutherford said of Jordan. “He needs to step out of the way, quit obstructing, so we can go about finding who the next Speaker nominee can be.”

Rutherford has supported House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) on all three ballots. Scalise initially won the GOP nomination for Speaker over Jordan, but dropped out one day later after Jordan supporters said they would not back him.

Asked if Jordan has any path to the gavel at this point, Rutherford responded: “no, none.”

“I think what some people are accepting, the longer it goes, there’s no path forward,” Rutherford later said, adding that the initial 20 Republicans who withheld support from Jordan “are not changing.”

“It’s an issue of principled leadership,” he said. “Jim Jordan refused to accept the outcome of a conference election.”

— Mychael Schnell

Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) said the decrease in GOP votes Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) has received on each ballot is “a serious challenge that we’re gonna have to work through.”

Jordan lost 25 GOP votes on the third ballot Friday, 22 on the second ballot Wednesday and 20 on the first ballot Tuesday.

“Look, you can count the votes on the floor, you can see what the last week of work is resulted in and, we sit today with fewer Republican votes than we did at the beginning of the week, and that’s a serious challenge that we’re gonna have to work through,” McHenry told reporters shortly after the third ballot.

“That’s why we’re gonna have a conference meeting for House Republicans to discuss this and a path forward,” he added.

The Speaker pro tempore also said Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) deserved more time to shore up support in his Speaker bid. Scalise initially won the GOP Speaker nomination over Jordan but dropped out one day later as the Ohio Republican’s supporters said they would not back him.

“I thought Scalise deserved more time, I said that to him directly… he deserved more time to put his votes together,” McHenry said. “I think I owe the same courtesy to Speaker designate Jordan for him to have the time to go build his votes.”

Asked what the right amount of time is, McHenry responded: “that’s a question for him, not for me.”

— Mychael Schnell

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) told reporters on Friday that it’s possible the House could reopen “no later” Monday, with bipartisan talks ongoing on a path forward amid the Speakership fight.

While Jeffries said he hasn’t been approached by GOP leadership on the matter, he added bipartisan talks have been happening among members.

“The conversations that have been ongoing, and in some ways have intensified throughout the week, have been serious, and I’ve been briefed on every single one of them,” he said. “And it involves different parts of the House Republican conference.”

“Conversations hopefully will intensify today, perhaps continue throughout the weekend, and get us to a place where we can reopen the house no later than Monday of next week,” he said.

“It’s possible,” he said, adding “hope springs eternal.”

— Aris Folley

Former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said the decision on whether Jordan should withdraw his Speakership candidacy is “a question for him.”

“That’s up to Jim. Jim needs to look at it and see where he wants to go,” he told reporters directly after the third Speaker vote.

Jordan has lost GOP support in each successive vote. The House GOP entered a closed-door meeting to discuss future plans shortly after the third vote.

McCarthy’s remarks came just hours after giving Jordan’s nominating speech before the third vote.

“We are in a very bad place,” he said of the caucus.

— Nick Robertson

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) said Friday he expects the GOP to consider a vote on whether to continue backing Jordan as the Speaker designee when the party meets for a 1 p.m. conference meeting.

“It’s the will of the conference. So people can’t say, ‘Oh, well, Jim Jordan is just dragging us through this….if in fact the conference sends him back out here,” Massie told reporters after Jordan’s third failed vote to secure the job.

Massie said he was hopeful any vote would be taken by secret ballot.

“It would carry more weight if it were,” he said.

— Rebecca Beitsch

Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.) said it’s time for Speaker Pro Tem Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) to use his role to conduct House business.

LaLota believes McHenry already has broad powers as Speaker pro tem, saying the position was created after 9/11 to help avoid a power vacuum — not leave the legislature paralyzed.

“It’s inherent in the title. It’s the temporary speaker, much like the vice president is compelled to act in the vacancy of the office of presidency,” he said.

LaLota’s position seems to be a minority view within the caucus and also clashes with McHenry’s stance, believing the role to largely oversee the organization of the speaker’s race.

Following a GOP conference meeting Thursday, many seemed to balk at a plan to further install McHenry, including on a short term status as the speaker, over both constitutional concerns and fears they would need to partner with Democrats.

— Rebecca Beitsch

Seven of the eight Republicans who sided with Democrats to oust former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) earlier this month on Friday said they would be willing to accept a punishment for their actions if it meant that holdouts would vote Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) into the Speakership.

“We’re eager to better understand how those who are unwilling to vote for Jim Jordan would react to our willingness to accept some consequence,” Gaetz told reporters after the third Speaker vote.

“We violated no rules of the house. We violated no rules of the House Republican Conference,” he said. “But if what people need to see is the eight of us rapped on the knuckles in order to get onto the business of governing, what we’re saying is we’re open minded to that.”

Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.) stood by his decision to oust McCarthy.

“We believe what we did was right. We stand behind what we did. We believe the Republican Party, the Republican Conference needs to change, Congress needs to change,” Good said. “However, if we’re the reason that the conference can’t come together and elect our Speaker-designee then we’re willing to submit ourselves to whatever consequence.”

Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.), whose name was on the letter with the other seven members, later told reporters that he did not endorse the proposal and that his name was added by mistake.

— Nick Robertson

House Republicans are expected to huddle behind closed doors at 1 p.m.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) said he expects they will take a vote on whether to continue backing Jordan as Speaker-designate — though that’s not set in stone.

Democrats in the chamber clapped when McHenry read that he himself received six votes for Speaker.